


To Last Forever

by TheLoneSurvivor



Category: Enderal (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Novelization, Prophetic Visions, Slow Build, Slow Burn, The Cycle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2018-08-22 07:28:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 100,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8277718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLoneSurvivor/pseuds/TheLoneSurvivor
Summary: She'd been called many things when she was younger. Urchin. Halfbreed. Outcast. Beggar. Thief. Downtrodden. Orphan. Maggot. Meat. When her life changed forever, she gained a few different names. Amber. Friend. Lady. Gifted. Prodigy. Outlander. Prophetess. And there's one more she's striving for. A title she'd been reaching towards her entire life. Hero.Novelization of Enderal: The Shards of Order. A story that should have been finished a long, long time ago. Now being worked on from the shadows. Stay tuned.





	1. Importance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a retelling of the mod for Skyrim called 'Enderal: The Shards of Order'. Because this is a recreation of the story, the dialogue will not always be the same and the plot will unravel a little differently, although I will not stray far from the path that has been created. Because of this, I believe you can enjoy the story of the game just fine if you don't know it but also if you do, as I _have_ mixed around some things.  
>  Tags and ratings will be updated as the story progresses.

It was evening now, so she had best return to daddy. He probably wondered where she had gone off to by now, and besides, he had something important to tell her. She could feel it.

 _Daddy needs to speak to me, I shouldn't keep him waiting. I know he wants to see me._ She thought, even though it seemed… off. She couldn't explain it, but everything didn't seem right.

The summer grass was bright green, shimmering with reds and purples of flowers and bright blooms that only summer could give. The trees were tall and proud and just as green as the grass. The sun was golden in the sky, basking the home she knew well yet didn't in warming yellow light that filled her soul with a sense of invigoration, yet the chill never left her bones.

She hopped down from her spot in front of the carriage without a horse and looked back up at the old ruins behind her. They were of light grey stone, and aside from the less-than-functional state it was in and all the vines that had overgrown on it, it looked functional and could work as what it was intended to be if a little work was done on it. Along the cobbled road she went, passing by grazing saddleless horses and grass over half the height of herself when she turned and looked at the charred house gazing out over the meadow as she passed it and seeing three columns of smoke on the other side of the small field. Intrigued, she went back to find out what it was.

The smoke came from behind an old stone wall with an opening close to the turret where the carriage was. Confusion and a little bit of terror filled her mind when she looked on at what she saw the smoke was coming from. Three wooden crosses with three bodies crucified on them. Two adults and one child. They were nothing more than skeletons, no flesh nor blood to speak of. Confused yet mostly undisturbed, she walked off and back to the house because, after all, daddy had something important to say to her and she didn't want to disappoint him.

Up the road she went, admiring the seeming paradise that she was in… that her family had decided to settle down and live at. The nature of her home was stunning and so full of life and vibrant; truly heaven.

When she made it up to the top, her daddy was there chopping wood, hardly sweating. He was wearing simplistic clothes; slightly grungy brown tunic and a bit cleaner and lighter brown trousers. His boots were simple doeskin and splattered with mud. She walked up to him and waved. He set down the axe and stood up straight. She lifted her head to look up at him. " Oh, hey, didn't see you there," he said. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

She felt her mouth shift into a frown, even though her mind had thought of doing no such action. "I… no, daddy, I didn't." Nor did her mind think of saying those words that came from her mouth.

Daddy sighed and shrugged his shoulder. "Hm, pity... maybe you're just not looking in the right places. Did you ever think of that? Ah well, could you go and carve up the meat for dinner? The Creator was kind today, a fat, juicy elk ran right in front of my bow! Just for us!"

"Yes! I love venison!" She exclaimed, much to her mind's confusion. It wasn't something she hadn't had since she was young and couldn't even remember the taste of. Her family was never in a godlike financial situation but they never went hungry. Elk and deer were some of the most hunted animals by people of importance, for a commoner to do so… Well, sometimes it doesn't end up well for the commoner. Most of the time, if within a certain season and time, it was fine, though. And since the land was owned by her and her family, it had to be fine.

"I do too, honey, I do too."

She walked all on her own, her body no longer her own, going up the small set of wooden stairs, pushing open the doors and walked inside. A young child's laughter rung through the house and it made her even more confused, but she didn't stop walking towards the deer on the room across the wall from the entrance. Blood and tools and other dead animals were everywhere, but it _was_ an impressive elk indeed, much larger than she was. Daddy came in whistling a few moments later and started speaking again after looking around for a few seconds. "My, my, I completely forgot about the mess I made here! Doesn't matter, we can still carve it up. You still know how to do it, right? First, you cut off the skin, then split the stomach, and then start to pull out the intestines..."

One question she asked as much as her mind did made it from her lips. "But what about mommy and sister?"

Daddy blinked with confusion for a second before recognition spread across his face. "What? Oh, it's been so long that I'd completely forgotten about them. They're dead, silly! Dead, and you killed them. But, no worth in crying over spilled milk right? Plus it means more meat for the two of us. Now, I'm going to go and find us a nice, sharp knife so that we can carve that deer open because I'm starving."

Now, she had complete control of her lips and what she could say. "I didn't kill them, daddy! It was the masked men!"

"What? No, you're lying. I remember you killed them. I saw it. It happened when you set fire to sister's crib, she screamed and screamed and woke up mommy, but when she made it there, there was nothing left of sister but… burnt flesh. Please, you know how sad thinking about this makes me!"

"But I didn't kill them, daddy! It was the masked men!"

"No, quit lying to me! You know it won't go anywhere. I know the truth, you killed them and that's all. Now stop it with your useless, pathetic, pointless whining!" Daddy nearly yelled. He walked over to the window and leaned out it. "Sometimes, I wish the Creator had made me a little less forgiving. A little less… pious. Because maybe then I would have seen that you were tainted right from the start. If I had, I would have sent you to work on the horse troughs right from when you could walk! I should have killed you. I should have just _killed_ you!"

As she watched, the cabin suddenly burst into flames. The light stung her eyes but she could not close them, forced to watch her father spew hatred towards her.

"But I didn't and you killed us instead. And you know something? The dead don't forget, _my child_ " he spat the last two words, "the dead don't forget! Now let's cut this pointless chatter. I'm bloody starving! Bring the elk over to me you worthless brat!"

He walked over to the elk himself, fell to his knees and started ripping it apart with his hands, stuffing crimson flesh into his mouth, blood dripping down his chin amidst the flames.

"Bring me a nice, crisp piece of meat!" He shouted. "Bring me a nice, crisp piece of meat! Bring me a nice, crisp piece of meat! Bring me a nice, crisp piece of meat! Bring me a nice, crisp piece of meat! Bring me a nice, crisp piece of meat!"

And, mercifully, the world set aflame cut to black.

When she next opened her eyes, she was where she knew she was: the lower deck of a ship. One headed for Enderal, the country of ignorance, living with the idea that the Lightborn were still alive. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. She never believed them to be Gods anyway, because how could rumours of them dying start if they actually _were_ Gods? Gods can't die, everyone knows that.

"Hey, shh… stop it!" A voice she knew well sharply whispered, "if you keep it up with the noise, we'll be thrown overboard!"

She found the time to look out across the light and at her companion. Sirius, dirt covered, chiseled features, muddy orange hair with a slick layer of grease… a refugee like her; her friend. Someone- no, the _only_ one in this world she could trust. "Sorry, sorry," she mumbled as she rubbed grease from her knuckles into her eye as she tried to wake up, "didn't sleep well."

"No shit, you think?" He said as he peered into the darkness, through cracks in the crates they had that surrounded them. A dull lantern and a pile of bread, along with a pile of straw was all the luxury they had, but at least they didn't have to slave away like all the fools up on the top of the ship. Sure, she felt bad for not volunteering like everyone else but still, as long as they could make it off the ship successfully, everything was going to work out just fine. They never came down into the storage hold, thank the Gods or their own stupidity, she didn't really see much of a difference between thanking the two. Sirius sighed and looked away from the crates. "Hey, sorry. That wasn't something you deserved, but I'm just nervous, you know? Was it that dream again?"

She nodded after several seconds. "...Yes."

"Figured as much. You know, if we had a penny for every time you had that nightmare since we met, we'd be using a starship instead of being well, campers in this ship." Sirius said with the subtlest hint of a smirk.

"I know. It's just something I can't ever seem to get rid of." She said as she grabbed a half of bread and took a few bites before chewing. "If I could banish it to wherever it came from, I would." Her accent came through even as she was eating.

"Mm. I hear that." Sirius said. After a few seconds of idle silence, he asked hesitantly. "Do… do you ever blame yourself for what happened?"

She blinked and swallowed the bread she had to make moist in her mouth. She thought for several seconds before speaking slowly. "I… no, no, I don't. I remember what happened and it wasn't me. My dreams like to believe otherwise."

"Nightmares you mean," Sirius corrected, "as I've never heard of dreams that make you scream and sweat in terror."

She pursed her lips and looked away at the lantern until it started to sting her eyes. After a while of sitting in silence, she spoke. "Wish this voyage was over, but I heard some of the crew say it's only a few hours from now. We're so close to freedom, it's amazing." A smile was on her face, one of almost-bliss.

"True, but remember, we aren't off the line just yet. We still need to get five hundred pennies and pay off our debts before we can be entirely free."

She shrugged. "We can just work at an inn or tavern for a few months and be able to pay off our debts. Then we can do whatever we please and be… completely… free..." The concept seemed like such a paradise; being able to do what you want, not what you are forced to. But what sounded even more blissful to her… the concept of being important. She could finally earn a name for herself in Enderal, not remain a faceless nobody. She could finally have her name said in conversation and maybe even written into the history books.

Here, she wouldn't be nameless and faceless. She would finally be considered a _person_.

The greatest gift of all.

"Yeah, it's- wait… did you hear that?"

She did; footsteps. Ones that came far too close to the iron gate that blocked this section of the ship off from everywhere else. She went to take a better look and saw exactly what she never wanted to see on this ship: other people walking into the closed off section of deck they were in.

One of them immediately gagged as he walked into the room and the other's face crinkled up as he took in his first breath. "Blazes, this place smells worse than a myriad's ballsack!"

The other person was able to gather himself as he walked around the room. "Yeah, got that right. Fucking hell, the bread must have gone moldy or some shit. We've got to throw that overboard sometime… Anyways, what were we looking for again?"

"Something along the lines of a metal cask. Don't know why it's in here of all places, but we have to find it because it's the captain's orders."

"Right, well, you take on a section and I'll take the other."

Sirius hissed into her ear: "Quick, the light! Put it out!"

She licked her fingers, tasted some of the bread that had flavoured them, and then extinguished the lantern as fast she could.

Sirius looked at her when she went back. The two sailors were once again in conversation; about the cask not being there and to check the upper level of the room… where they were. Shit. "Alright, we've got to knock 'em out, okay? You take the old one and I'll get the young one. One… two… three… go!"

They both ran out of their cover and onto the two sailors, taken completely by surprise. Sirius managed to knock out his opponent after two punches and for her, only one, planted directly to the nose. She heard the crunch of his nose breaking and felt a spurt of blood touch her hand before the sailor fell to the ground, completely unconscious.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, this wasn't part of the plan! What are we gonna do?" Sirius said to himself, fortunately hushed.

Amber thought for a few moments and then an idea hit her. While her pragmatic aspect wanted to just kill them, to prevent them from ever telling anyone, her sense of being just and honourable told her to let them live. It wasn't worth knowing you killed someone to get your freedom, after all. "Let's find some rope and string them up. Shove some cloth in their mouth so they can't speak and leave as soon as we can, before they can be found."

She grabbed Sirius by the shoulders until he physically calmed down. He nodded. "Right, right. That makes sense. Better than killing them too. Come on then, I'll find the cloth and you find the rope."

Sirius scampered off to find cloth only a second later, leaving her without the slightest clue on where to find any rope. After a few moments of looking around though, she found a coil of it placed on top of a barrel. "Hey, found some rope."

Sirius visibly sighed. "Great! I can't find cloth, but we can use their clothes for that instead. Now we just have to tie them up..."

They started to tie them up but, only a few seconds later, the most unimaginable thing happened. A woman appeared out of nowhere, in deep blue robes. She looked foreign, maybe she was from Qyra? She walked in and without using her hands, raised Sirius and his companion into the air. Incredibly powerful magic, she deduced as she was lifted from the wall. It was only after she realized she couldn't move that she began to panic. This woman had them completely trapped and was sure to get them caught.

Sirius was trying a much more diplomatic approach than she was. "Wait, please stop, we didn't want to harm them on purpose!"

"You try to convince her that your actions were out of necessity and that you are innocent, despite what you have done. And she believes you." She spoke; never faltering and never making a mistake. It felt mystic, if she was to be completely honest and the way to mage spoke was queer. Off. Different, and would be teased on any part of the world she could think of. "But, unfortunately, she cannot let her own understanding of the situation get in the way of what must be done. Remember this, it all begins with the dreams."

"What?" Sirius exclaimed, speaking desperately, his voice unsilenced and at its normal volume. "No, please! Stop this! We only wanted to-"

In the briefest of moments, she recognized she was being smacked into the wall and, just like her first nightmare, everything cut to black.

This time, when she awoke, her body didn't want to move an inch. It remained on the ground. It was like she was paralyzed. The sunlight stung her eyes and she winced as she watched the captain walking in front of Sirius whose hands were bound behind his hands and he was down at the wood. In fear or shame, she could not tell.

"So..." the captain began slowly, "let me get this straight. You wanted to flee the war in Nehrim and to do so, you needed passage. And since my ship is one of the only ones still going between Enderal and Nehrim, you decide to come aboard as stowaways until two of my men went down and found you, so you beat them unconscious and try to tie them up to escape silently before some mystical woman appears out of thin air and gets you caught? That about right?"

Sirius nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe us! She used magic and just… made us float! Like it was nothing!"

"I don't care about her, and I sure as hell don't believe in her. What I care about is that you two stayed on my ship and ate our food while having the good life while all my men had to work and earn their keep."

"Mydame, the war… it-"

"I don't care about that either. You could have signed on just like anyone else and earn your keep, but no! You have to sit in my ship like fleshmaggots and not do any work whatsoever! You two are scum." She took a step back and shook her head in disgust.

"W-wait, please! Don't do this! We could work for you u-until we get to Enderal and then we could-"

"Quiet!" She snapped. "That time has come and gone a long time ago. There's only one thing I do for a _disease_ like you." She drew her sword and Sirius' eyes widened. "String him up."

The crewmember who received the order frowned at his captain. "But-"

"No, string him up."

He fell silent and brought Sirius to his feet as the stowaway began to sob. "No… no, please! You can't do this!"

The captain smirked evilly, fires of hatred and disgust in her eyes. "Oh, believe me. I can." Without a second thought, she thrust her sword deep into Sirius' stomach. His companion gasped and reached out a hand, despite it being completely futile. After a few shudders from Sirius, the captain withdrew her blade and let his lifeless body flop to the deck, blood beginning to pool around him, being dragged apart by the gentle rocking of the ship. She looked over at his companion. "Well, look who's awake. How much did you see? Honestly, I don't care. Tie her up with the other parasite and throw them both overboard. Good luck with your new life, _friend_."

"Wait!" the half-Kiléan cried. "Please, don't! I can-" she stopped herself. If she wasn't able to allow her to do manual labour, there was nothing she offer that would possibly save her. She was, entirely, doomed.

"Yes?" The captain sneered. "You going to offer me a deal, fleshmaggot?"

The stowaway looked at her hands and saw three tears land on them. To come so far, only to have everything ripped away from her. The things she could offer to save her life were as bountiful as her hands which were entirely empty. "I... can't."

"Oh? Why's that?"

She looked up at the captain with full streams of tears running down her face, falling from her chin and landing on the deck with tiny _tunk_ sounds. She must have looked completely pathetic. "You won't accept my offer..." she said at last, the despair in her voice becoming more and more evident. "I'm dead, no matter what I do."

"How very intelligent you are, to reach such a conclusion. A waste to throw away such a bright mind like yours." The sarcasm dripping from her words made the woman seem even more of an arbitrary person. She deserved the nightmares more than anyone else.

"But can I make a request?"

The smile dropped from the captain's face and it was a nice change. "What is it?"

"Can it be a quick death?" The tears still dripped down her cheeks, but she never wanted to die a long death. That is torture. A slit throat kills you infinitely faster than drowning.

The captain thought about it but shook her head and the stowaway's heart shattered even more. "No, I think I'll give you a chance. Since you have such a smart mind, I'm sure you can find your way out of the rope and which way the coast is. So, once again, enjoy your new life, fleshmaggot!"

She was too stunned to even speak as the crewmembers closed in on her and lashed ropes harshly across her and Sirius so that they were bound together. She only whimpered every time she felt physical pain, wishing it would haunt them all to their deaths and in the afterlife, if such a thing exists.

They threw her overboard a few minutes ago, tied to her dead friend, body still warm, into the icy water of the ocean. She watched the boat sail away for a few seconds before she sank under the surface. As she drifted downwards, her body and mind went into overdrive, desperately trying to escape the bindings and get a breath of air.

Her mind cried out and her memory flashed through various points in her life; her horrid childhood, the death of her entire family, the streets of Ostian that she wandered day in and day out, her days as a drogae addict to avoid the pain of the death of her family despite what they did to her, when she finally broke free from the influence, when she met Sirius and then… she snapped back to reality and all the curses that it brought.

So close to becoming free… becoming _someone_ … only to fail.

 _I wish I could live! Please, Gods, let me live!_ Her mind cried and begged as her lungs began to burn as intensely as the sun, desperate for one more breath of cool, salty ocean air that now seemed like such a luxury that she had taken for granted her entire life.

But instead, she only sunk deeper… and deeper…

And deeper…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to the people of Reddit for inspiring me to post this story, they're awesome! Kudos, comments, and bookmarks are always appreciated, but so is just reading the story!


	2. Temple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, second chapter! Got a healthy backlog going so you can continue to expect weekly updates (currently writing chapter 8 right now) for a good while. Hope you enjoy it. Kudos, comments, bookmarks, and subscriptions are always deeply appreciated.

Voices. She could hear voices. All of them overlapping, speaking things that she could only gather; spoken from mouths she couldn't recognize. Dozens of dialect all playing at the same time, she had difficulty keeping track of everything. A few words stuck out to her though: prophetess, beacon and order… cycle. What they meant to her was of little significance. She also saw light, blinding white light and bodies, dead and motionless, their skin charred and green yet oddly preserved. She saw a temple of some sort, a room, covered in vines and made entirely of stone and golden metal. Memories of a lost race.

And then, almost as quickly as it had happened, it was gone. Her vision evaporated like water onto red hot iron and she realized she had her eyes closed. When she opened them again, the light and bodies and temple was gone. In its place was an infinite sea and a small platform partially destroyed sticking out above the waves. The sky was an array of bright stars with golden, pink, scarlet and the faint hint of purple clouds swirling like it's own ocean amongst the diamond-like stars with a star more impressive and lonely than the sun at the highest point in the sky. It was larger and brighter than all the rest yet was less than half the size of the sun. Around her stood pillars made of stone with lines and slight, smooth alcoves carved into them.

She looked down and saw her body there. Yet it was different. Lighter, less of a burden and seemed full of dormant energy. She had her body and she had conscious. Memory. Emotion. Feeling. Was this what death was like?

She walked over to the front of one of the pair of three pillars all glowing with a light blue. She had a feeling she should touch the lowest groove in the stone, carved into the floor. She did, her index and middle fingers pressed together, sliding from one side of the dip to the other and something began to happen because of it. The lowest alcove, the one she had touched, lit up as if it were a star as well and shone just as bright. But it didn't hurt to stare at and she didn't have to look away. As she was, she felt no pain, no feeling bound by a mortal anchor, really. She was connected fully, body and soul. This was freedom too, but not the kind she had sought. As the light flickered and grew, her mind was assaulted with ideas and concepts she had never even considered before. Magic, ways to use it and it's power, it seemed to her. From what little she had been able to piece together, it seemed like she had an idea of how she could use magic. The images and ideas and concepts filling her mind faded quickly enough, but they remained in the back of her mind deep and hidden.

It took little more than a simple thought before she faded away from the world she had entered and her vision dimmed for, perhaps, the last time.

...She felt rain. But wasn't she dead? Was this a dream? She opened her eyes and immediately felt pain as a drop of pure water smacked into her eye. No, no dream. Even in her nightmares, she never felt pain. This had to be real. How could that be? She was so sure she had died… The water… the desperate struggle… it seemed so fresh in her mind and so… real, like it had all happened, but that couldn't be because there she was, lying… somewhere.

When she sat up, she noticed she was in a cove hidden by a massive wall of stone with a large ring through it where the ocean and rain had long since eroded it away. Her clothes were the same as when she was on the ship yet Sirius was not with her. She looked around, going so far as to stand up and look, but as she did, her head pulsed and throbbed with foreign pain. It was… weakening, but it brought about a sense of strength as well. And she saw the world with a sense of clarity, as if a veil had been over her eyes for her entire life and only now after she had almost died, had it been removed. It was intense, in the lack of a better word. And entirely queer; it was hard to explain, even to herself. It could also be considered overwhelming if she was of a weak will, but her time in Ostian had made her sense of will rather hard to fracture.

 _Unless I'm doomed to die,_ she admitted to herself once she had steadied and felt she could start walking. She looked around for another few minutes for Sirius but never managed to find him. She felt the rain fall down on her and shivered before deciding she should move farther inland before she died of the cold. That'd be a real throwaway of what was either pure luck or blessings from the Gods. She didn't know which.

While the Gods were considered dead by much of Nehrim, one of the primary factors for the civil war, what she had survived through could probably only be divine intervention, or the more unlikely factor that she simply drifted here. She was tied up close to Sirius and she couldn't even escape, but, here she was. Alive, if under the weather. Literally and figuratively. She felt a little sick and when she touched her forehead, she could feel a heat from it, almost searing.

As she trudged through sand and stone under her heavily calloused feet, a result from being unable to afford shoes for the majority of her life, she came across a skeleton clutching a pickaxe and a bright red liquid in a potion bottle. Life has taught her that it was a health potion. She popped off the cork and sniffed, wincing a slight bit. It seemed to have gone rancid due to age, which isn't all that surprising. She took it in her hand, though, making sure the cork was on it but could be drunk in a rush. One of the few adventurers that had been kind enough of tossing her a few pennies back on Nehrim had told her that health potions could be drank even when rancid without major side effects; maybe a little dizziness for a few minutes or so. And she needed the potion now. New land, new danger, she knew. She murmured a prayer to the skeleton, wherever its spirit was. _Respect those who came before no matter their bloodline,_ was the mantra she had been taught. It was a practice she never gave up. It was tradition.

The cliffs and bluffs gave way to form a path deeper into the island and she followed it unwittingly. Maybe not the smartest thing she could do, but what other option did she have? Eventually she found a path to walk along where the plants had been crushed into not growing on and followed it until she came across a clearing. There, she looked ahead and stopped, along with her heart for a brief moment. It was the temple. The one she had seen in her vision… memory… dream… whatever it was. It felt like a memory, one that she had for her entire life, but she knew it wasn't true. It had to be a vision of some sort. The only dream she had had for the past number of years was that one involving her father and her subconscious trying to trick her into believing she was the cause of her family's death. But she knew better. It was the masked men, just like she had cried a thousand times in her dreams. Father never listened, though.

She walked down and looked at the ruin, awestruck. Why, of all places, had she washed up on a beach that would lead her right to the very temple she had dreamed of? She didn't get long to think on that as she heard a sound that immediately brought her full focus. It was animalistic, but didn't sound entirely hostile. But sure enough, it was. A giant rat came out of the grass and startled her. She yelped and instinctively slammed her foot down. The rat's head managed to be under where her foot went and it got smashed into the ground. She felt heard and felt a crunch and something wet stick to her foot. _Oh Malphas, that's so gross…_

She didn't have much time to think of that, as a second rat, obviously intrigued by the sounds of the first one made came to investigate and decided to attack her. She flung her pickaxe with accuracy she never knew she had and hit the rat. It squealed and screamed in pain for a few moments and then laid still.

Not a movement came from her for several moments. She was stunned and disgusted. Stunned that she had killed two rats without even thinking hard on it and disgusted that she had killed them. It was self defence, sure, but she still took a life. Her first, no matter what her dreams tried to tell her. She went to grab the pickaxe but looked a little closer at what it was impaled in, the rat, and pulled her hand back and shook her head, shuddering as she walked off, making sure to wipe her foot on the grass for several minutes until she was sure her foot wouldn't stink of the dead in a few hours. She could do without a weapon, there was no way she was hauling a bloody, rat blood covered pick with her to wherever she was going.

There was a wagon and another skeleton with a chest off on a slight bump next to the temple. She gave a small prayer, as she always did, to the deceased and then did her best to find anything of value before she would have to look at the old ruin once again. It seemed that she would have to go through the temple if she was ever to leave this place. The chest had a leather belt and a doeskin sack tied to it on the right rear so she could store some things, like the few pennies she found in the wagon and skeleton and chest. She also found a knife made of… some sort of metal, probably iron, and a sheath to go along with it. She put the sheath just above her belt and kept the knife in hand. Never know when that might come in handy.

After she had gathered all she felt she needed, she moved on and looked up at the temple once more, thinking of the vision she had had and, taking in a deep breath, went inside.

It was cold inside. And dark. There was enough light to see, but just enough. There was a small tunnel and then a larger open room with an ancient sphere with magical properties, glowing a soft and almost soothing pink. Three more skeletons lay in two heaps close to the ancient sphere. Whoever made it had a good grasp on magic, clearly. She walked over and found another pickaxe but decided against taking it. The knife would serve her just fine, she supposed. She again uttered a small prayer for the dead and then began searching through them for anything she could take. She didn't find anything other than a coin as ancient as the ruin she was in and an odd metal device, shaped like a key. It probably was, but one can never be too sure about anything.

She saw an opening in the rock a little bit away from the bodies and over a mass of vines and overgrowth that had made the place a shadow of what it probably once was. She put the odd key into the slot and turned it, hearing a hissing sound and looking around for any and all danger. She saw none but instead, in the pool on the left side of the room, if you were entering it, there were stone pillars that began to rise, one going higher than the other to form a path up to a tunnel up at the top that she hadn't really noticed before. Without any other option, she climbed up the rock stairs and went down the hallway that was probably magnificent at some point, but was now covered in gravel and rock and dust that scraped against the soles of her hard feet. She hardly felt anything though. The hallway diverged at a stream, going onwards a little further but also going off to another path that looked less used. She went that way instead, if not to find the way out, to find _something_ of value.

Soon enough, she came across a large room, dim and vast. The only thing of interest, aside from the way the water flowed through the middle of the room like a braid of windblown hair, was the collection of chairs and a rounded table in the middle of it carved out of stone. On it lay books devoured by age and a set of robes less touched by the damage time can do. A potion was there was well in a slightly ornate porcelain bottle, white and thin-necked. Its body was fat, however, a stark contrast from the neck and cork that came along with it. A stone ring surrounded the table and chairs and when she stepped through it, her mind seemed tighter, as if it had expanded and was now pressing against her skull. It began to throb as she stood there in the circle and she grabbed the bottle and robes as quickly as she could before making her way out of the circle, hoping that this was something that was not destined to last.

Fortunately, it was not. Once she stepped outside the circle, the throb in her skull lessened and her head felt oh so much better. Normal, in lack of another word. She even sighed a breath of relief when her mind calmed down. She made her way back to the hallway where a small ridge was that she could sit on and put on the robes she then considered hers and removed her tunic. The cold air made her shiver as she exposed her breasts but the robe was soon over her and her body began working to heat it up to a comfortable degree. She tossed the now useless cloth to the ground. If she had a needle and some thread, she would have made it into something else like a sack perhaps but since she had no such tools, she simply let it lie and carried on.

Down the hallway she walked, her eyes scanning every little detail that had even the smallest hint of interest; enemies, items, pennies, anything. Soon enough, she found yet another skeleton. She paid her respects still. The old body had a bow and a quiver of arrows that she appropriated. She didn't really know how to shoot a bow, but she knew that if she needed to, she could learn. A bedroll, slightly musty and well aged, if the skeleton close to it was any indicator to it's age, was laid out beside a pool of deep water that nearly extended the entire distance of the room she was in. It was only a few feet wider than the hallway she was previously in, in all honesty, and acted much like the hallway she had been in. She rolled up the bedroll and did her best to stuff it into the bag that her belt carried. It barely managed to fit, but barely was good enough for her. With her new arsenal and sleeping device, she left the room and pressed on, going through the old ruin to find her way out into the world once more.

She walked into a room some ways down the hallway and instantly stopped, looking around. It was exactly the place she had seen in her mind. Except, something was different. _The bodies… they're gone. Of all the things the vision was accurate about, why was this the thing that was incorrect?_ She looked around and it was dull and plain, much like every other room in the ruin. No bodies were there, despite her searching. After frowning for a little and leaving her mind to wander with questions, she decided to look around once more.

There was a door at the end of the room. It was golden and sculpted to look ornate, at least it was ornate in the cultures of Nehrim. She couldn't say for Enderal. It swung open with ease and she stepped through, finding a large room with a ridge and a lower section that was mostly flooded with water. In the middle of it, she saw a… structure of some sort. It was made of metal, that much was clear, but it had a red-pink tint and ingrained symbols and lines that she could not recognize. She walked along the side of the room until she found a spot where the land had crumbled enough for safe passage down. She stepped into the water uncaring, although she didn't like the sensation of the wet of her robes that would eventually cling to her legs. She let out a tiny shiver as she felt the coldness of the water surround her, two inches shy of being knee deep and did her best to ignore it as she inspected the structure further. It seemed familiar, which was odd since she had never even seen such a device before. Not in the… memory she had been given nor the nightmares she had had throughout many of her years, and certainly not in her waking life. It was foreign but familiar, if that made any sense. It didn't to her.

She reached out and touched the metal like it was a fine vase and felt the metal for herself. It was cold, odd, smooth even after centuries or even millennia of non-apparent decay. It had fallen apart, that much was true, but the metal itself looked in no way damaged, even the parts that were submerged in water. _Must be a really tough metal in order to withstand the elements for so long…_ She thought to herself as she looked around a little further.

Within a minute she found an exit from the room in the form of a tunnel with a stream running down further into… somewhere. Warily, keeping her knife in her hand, ready for any action that she might see, and descended into the tunnel, giving a final look at the obviously symbolic metal structure. If she ever had the money and time to when she made her new life here, wherever it was - presumably Enderal - she would return here and do some investigation on the metal; what it is, where it came from, it's properties and why the people of this ruin seemed so interested in it. But for now, she had to actually _survive_ and make that life she was so determined to. She would have to have a funeral for Sirius soon, for he had died and while she was sure she would too, she lived.

She shook the melancholy from her mind and focused once more on the matter at hand, making her way through the tunnel until she came across something very out of place. It was a watermill, that much she could see, but the water was long since gone and the wheels still turned. The queerest thing about it was that it lacked stone and metal and was instead made of wood. She found another skeleton on the leftmost side of the room, clutching a pickaxe and another healing potion. She gave it her respect as well, whoever it was when they were alive. After taking the potion and going over to where the main operations of the mill were probably activated and deactivated, if the fact that it was a wooden platform with a small room on it and a fence to stop idiots from falling off was any hint. She found a chest under the overhang on the platform and rummaged through it, finding a few pennies, some old leather strips and a smashed bottle with some green liquid soaking the glass. She took the money and the strips of leather in the best condition and moved on to the platform, looking at the turning waterwheels for a few moments before noticing the two gears close to them, almost imbedded in the wall. She grabbed one and started to turn it, noticing that it continued to turn all on it's own on a set speed. She copied the action with the slightly smaller one further away from the wheel.

With both gears working, she looked around some more and noticed the wheel with a golden-bronze pipe attached to it. Deciding she had nothing to lose, aside from her life, she gave it a good spin. It was oiled enough to continue spinning all on it's own and when she looked back, she noticed the waterwheel was rising. It was still spinning, but was also ascending until there was a gap at the bottom large enough for her to walk under.

She did and blinked as she walked into the faint sunlight on the other side, it stung a little but her eyes adjusted quickly enough. It felt good to have the warmth of the sun hit her, drying her clothes and hair as she emerged into a place that was probably once a sewer. It least it didn't reek of shit anymore.

It was not soon after did she wish she had found another way to leave the ruin. She encountered a monster that hadn't noticed her yet, but damn was it terrifying. It was a big blob of… stuff. Mud and dirt and clay and grass and moss all forming together into a hideous mass that vaguely resembled a human. She thought of pulling out her longbow but she thought better of it, knowing it would be suicide. _How can you hurt something that is made of earth?_

Instead, she did her best to avoid it and sneak past, crouching and uncaring of the mud streaking across the lower parts of her robe. She saw a short stone tunnel outside and an iron gate barring the outside world from her. Definitely was a sewer back when it wasn't a ruin filled with skeletons and decay and monsters made of the very shit that was dumped out of the temple.

She shuddered as she thought of the creature once more, making it into the tunnel without being noticed and pushing open the iron door, stepping out into the world that she could only assume was Enderal.


	3. Enderal

"Whoa..." the word flowed from her mouth as she looked out at her first true sight of Enderal. The sun was setting over a mountain, golden and scarlet in the sky. The ruin, as it turns out, was built directly into a mountain overlooked a beautiful valley split in half by a river fed by a waterfall. Vibrant leaves and grass of all colours decorated the world with a sense of calming and one word in particular 'paradise'. Plants grew as dominant as humanity had in this world and it was one that she could let herself sink into for a few minutes.

She walked to the edge and sat down for enough time to watch the world, one without fear and mortality; just one with beauty. She looked all around her, admiring the golden sunset and crystal blue water flowing over rounded rocks and bright yellow sands with lily pads growing in the slower flowing waters, each decorated with their own little unique flower, pink and white and orange. She saw the mountains capped with rock and distant trees so small they seemed no more than the tiniest of green twigs she had ever laid her eyes upon. She watched hammerbirds, orange and scarlet and white fly in circles high above the ground, away from worldly problems and salmon jump and swim in the river and heard the very last songbirds of the day before they would sleep and start up once again in the morning.

If she could, she would have just stayed there for her entire life admiring the world in a perfect sunset. But like sunsets, she could not last. When a happy torchbug, just starting to glow, flew past her face, she knew it was the time she continue on. While she didn't feel particularly hungry, her mouth was parched and she wanted to see another alive person once more; enough with old bones in ancient ruins, she needed to see someone as bright and alive as she was. Or more so.

As she stood up, her fever hit her with an overwhelming headache that made her vision swim and turn red for a brief moment. She forced herself to stumble back so that she didn't plummet to her death over the cliff and clutched her skull, only sitting down when she knew she was well away from danger. "Blazes… I need to find someone to figure out what's wrong with me," she muttered to herself through gritted teeth.

This time, she got up much slower, crawling on her hands and feet a few paces before painstakingly slowly getting up onto her own two feet, from there she crouched and held her hands out to make sure she was steady. After several seconds of nothing, she deemed it fine to get upright, slowly of course, and continue on her way. This time, her headache did not smash into her like a warhammer, but just like through the entirety of the temple, it with was her. In a dull throb and constant pressure on her mind, but it had been so many hours she had been with it, it almost felt… normal. She tried to think of a time before she had her… illness, whatever it was. That was back when Sirius was alive. It had only been a few hours over an entire day at most since then, but it seemed so much longer like he was nothing more than a faded memory warped by the mind as time had passed.

She shook herself free from the thoughts of Sirius; he deserved a burial but not now, when she had her own problems. Find civilization first and then make a burial ceremony for Sirius afterwards. She dabbed her eyes and realized the tears that had formed were close to spilling over and sliding down her cheek like they had back on the ship. She tried not to think of that and how utterly pathetic she must have looked.

She continued on her path, going down the landscape and across a narrow walkway from stable land to a close tower that, when she dared to look down, descended to the bottom, yet she could not see a door. There was no other way for her to go, however, so down the tower she must. The door swung open easily and she found herself in a shambles of a library with a stone table in the middle and an iron-wrought bookshelf close to a set of stairs that descended down towards her destination; the valley itself, not the cliff overlooking it. Oddly enough, she found two books still in shape. She reached out for them and her mind flared and her headache made her vision spin. Her shoulder slammed into the nearest wall for support and she fiercely closed her eyes for as many seconds as it took for the feeling to dissipate.

It was gone soon enough and she warily went to touch the books again. She could sense something in them; something that she could never feel before. It was… rather impossible to describe, but it felt different. A radiating… energy, that flowed from it into her fingertips and up to her mind. She opened the book, nearly looking away, and was assaulted by a jumbling of letters and numbers and practices that her mind soaked up like cloth in the rain. All the letters burned hot white into her mind and vision and for a few moments, she feared she had gone blind. But it was not the case, for when she opened her eyes, she felt a certain strength about her and moves and abilities she had never known before. On instinct, she performed this move, no more than a subtle flick of her wrist up to the sky and she nearly fell back when a roar of tiny flames erupted from her fingers like a fireplace soaked in oil.

But, she realized, the flames did not hurt her nor did they light anything on fire, but they had not found anything to consume. They simply flowed and swayed with the faint wind and lazily followed her hand when she moved it. It never went out, either. _What is this? Can… can this be magic?_ She thought to herself, looking at her hand in amazement. She pressed the flames into her other hand and with nothing more than a thought, the eager little flames jumped to her right hand and did what they had done on the left; not much of anything. She looked at her hand for a moment and pressed the open palm away from her, gasping as flames leaped from her fingers like lances and struck the long since ruined books.

The flames hungrily ate away at them, and she realized her thoughts processed a little slower. It was like she was tired, but only in her mind. Her body was as limber as it had been minutes ago and ready to carry her to where she wanted to go. Needed to go. And her mind was coming back to her, slowly. Was this why all mages in the stories she had heard over the years talked of mages never having it 'easier' than anyone else? That they too struggled with the use of their magic?

She didn't know, but she knew she would find the answers sooner or later.

With unfinished answers, her mind flashed to one thing that made her stop in her tracks and simply freeze for a few moments. The veiled woman, as she was going to be dubbed. The one who spoke in a queer fashion and had brought about the death of her friend and very nearly her own death too. Why she survived was a mystery and that was something she could probably never find the answer to, but it was not like she was going to ever see the veiled woman again, right? She was just some anomaly that had happened and would never appear again, much like how the stars shoot across the sky every now and then. But for all her mind tried to rationalize, her heart and gut went against that, and even a faction within her mind disagreed and felt that the veiled woman would show herself once again. All she had to do was be patient. Fortunately, that was one of her virtues. She had grown accustomed to having to wait until her wants and needs were answered on the streets of Ostian.

She found another book and activated it like the first and this one was easier to learn than the first. It was less intense and she knew what to expect. This time, when she flicked her hand, a golden aura radiated from her hand with white swirls that seemed to bring her hand even more alive than before, if that was even possible. She used it and, after nothing but invigoration filled her, she deduced it was some kind of healing magic that could mend wounds better than needle and thread or scalding iron ever could, just like the fabled healers of Ostian could do.

She continued on, going down deeper into the tower after the books had long since been piles of black ash and smoking remains, finding herself looking over a large open cave that domed and housed sparse plants that all looked sickly. As she went inside to see it, she noticed that there was a giant beast there. It looked almost human, but not enough for her liking. It was far too muscular and hunched and hairy. Wasn't that a troll?

Before she could sneak away and avoid it like she had the mud monster, it roared and spun around, glaring right at her with soulless black eyes devoid of logic and reason. It began to hobble over to her, it's dominant arm on farther away from her than the rest of it. Without thinking, she found it in herself to cast her flames from her hand. They bolted faster than an arrow and started burning off the hair of the beast and charring the skin, leaving a stench that made her want to retch. It didn't stop and hardly even grunted in anger, nearly getting within striking distance before she fled across the stones to the door that remained locked despite her attempts to open it.

The beast moved closer, but a hissing sound made her and the troll both stop; wondering what had made it. Within a second, a flash of four metal prongs slammed out and crunched the bones of the troll, leaving her wincing and almost cowering. The troll didn't even have the time to grunt before it's skull was smashed into hundreds of bits. It's body had sailed some distance and she noticed what had made the hissing sound and activated the sound, a plate of stone rimmed with golden-bronze metal that stood an inch above the rest of the ground. How she had managed to avoid it was a mystery and she had no will to try and find out, searching the two mummified bodies, as gross as it was, for the keys that she could use to escape and be free. She found a few ancient coins not of her race and took them, hoping she could sell them to a collector of ancient things. She also found a sword half rusted and partially decayed that would serve her no purpose. Her knife of iron was much more equipped to deal with the jobs she had in mind, along with her newfound magic spells.

When she opened the door, she found herself outside once more. The sun was lower now, hidden behind the large ring of stone that effectively sealed off a good section of the valley, but amber light still flowed from the skies onto the land below. She always loved the colour; it was the same tone as her eyes. Father had always said it was as if her eyes had captured the sunset she when she was born, Mother wasn't around long enough for her to know if she would agree with him or not.

A body and a wolf feasting on it were on the other side of a thin and a rather treacherous walkway made of stone. There was only one way down to the valley, across the walkway, and she knew that even though wolves usually didn't attack people if you got close enough they would. That was just common sense, though. She made sure her right hand gripped her knife tightly and brought a swirl of magical red, orange and slightly blue flames to her hand. She approached the wolf cautiously. She knew what species it was, a coastal wolf that spent much of its time, well, around the coast and in the forests close to the shores. To see one here meant that there was a shoreline nearby. Makes sense, since her adventure on the continent she could only assume to be Enderal started with her laying down on a gravel beach.

The wolf looked up and then at her within a fraction of a second, stooping to the ground and letting out a low growl. She held her flames closer, as if it were a treasured valuable. The wolf snarled and snapped its teeth. It seemed enraged by something. She recognized the wolf move suddenly, as it stumbled on a loose stone, and reflexively pushed her hand out to stop the wolf, as useless as it would have been. Instead, it was her who did the damage, letting flames conjured from… somewhere out into the world, surrounding the wolf in a cone of heat and pain and light. The way it screamed and whimpered as it died were sounds she'd never be able to get out of her mind, but she had to prioritize: her life was more important to her than the life of a crazed wolf.

By the time the flames died, the body was nothing more than a charred mass that stunk of burnt fur and flesh. She did her best not to retch, but couldn't help but do it once. She made her way over to the man's body the wolf was eating and appropriated his gloves and boots, as bad as it was. She wanted footwear and gloves and the man had both of them; he wasn't going to use them much anyways, so why let it go to waste? She muttered a prayer for the body and went on her way, content with saying only a line of it. "I pray your death was swift."

She continued on the path, making it over a log and down into the valley, finally setting her first foot onto the land that would be where she spent the rest of her life. Now she could finally just not have to worry; anyone who could relay information about her and who she was would be convinced she's dead so she's free from debt and so she can finally live a life by her choice and make the right decisions. A fresh start to bring about the change she so desperately wanted in life.

The sun was a fresh memory by the time she decided she was going to leave the valley. She had encountered a pack of wolves and a few river crabs but it was nothing bad. She also found a chain hauberk that she could wear and use, although she didn't. She was just fine without having a two stone chestpiece that would weigh her down indefinitely. Of course, she also had robes which she could and very nearly had got caught on, but at least they didn't weigh two stone. But she _did_ take it along so she could sell it. _There's got to be a merchant somewhere close, I know it._

She was walking towards the large stone that did a rather good job sealing off the valley from what was on the other side when she stumbled upon a camp. Two tents, a happily blazing campfire, an alchemy station and a bunch of potions all packed up in one big crate was what consisted of the camp. As she approached, a man with bright silver hair and far more practical robes than hers emerged from somewhere she couldn't see. His robes were vibrant green and yellow with beige and white trimmings. He had a bow slung over his shoulder with a quiver of arrows attached to his belt.

"Ah, I _knew_ there was someone climbing up those mountains." He said in an accent that differed rather vastly from any she had heard before. _He must be thinking about the man I saw less than an hour ago…_ She thought, but decided not to correct the person on it. "So what brings you down here?"

"I was just going to press on. Who are you?" She said in her own accent.

"Who am I?" The man asked again, scratching his chin. "Well, you can call me Finn, I suppose. I'm an Apothecarius, sworn to help the sick and injured. Who are you?"

"An adventurer," she blurted. She paused for a second, thinking, before speaking again. "Amber. You can call me that. I'm from Ostian."

"Ostian, eh? That's quite a ways away from here. I suppose you've come here to avoid the civil war in Nehrim?" Finn asked.

Amber nodded. "Yeah, that about sums it up. Came here for a new life and a better start than I had on Nehrim."

"Not sure why you came to Enderal, but to each their own. We don't have a civil war, but something odd has been happening here." Finn said as he looked around, as if there were enemies along the rocks and hiding in the foliage. "Animals here have been going crazy, attacking people and there's Pathless showing up all over the place."

"Pathless?" Amber asked. She had never heard the term before.

"Oh, those who don't have a path to follow. I'm assuming you want to know what a Path is too? Uhm, well, it's… it's just a Path. It says who you're going to be, what role you're destined to play."

"So you're forced into a Path so you can do what you do best in society?" Amber asked.

Finn paused for a second and then nodded. "Yeah, that's what it does, essentially. It's rather hard to explain, but you summed it up rather well, I would say."

"I thank you," Amber replied as kindly as she could manage.

The two spoke for some time, doing a small bit of trading where Amber sold what she could and bought a few healing potions for the road. She also studied a map that Finn had produced and knew of the town closest to where they were, a place called Riverville and knew the quickest way to get there as safely as she could. She was advised against going along the roads but also to avoid going too deep into the wilderness, as to avoid animals and bandits alike. And, just like she had suspected, she had made it to Enderal. Finally.

"Alright, well I should take my leave and get going. I should make it to Riverville and deal with this fever I've got."

Finn's eyebrows piqued at that. "Fever? How bad is it?"

"Well, my forehead's rather hot and my skull's throbbing dully and I feel a little weaker than usual but other than that I'm fine."

Finn was about to speak when his assumed companion came down from the old fishery that they were so close to. "Alright Finn, I finished with checking the fishery for danger, finally and-" he drew his sword when he noticed Amber there, ready to set out once again. "Who's this, eh?"

"Just an adventurer, Carbos. She was just on her way, actually."

Carbos glared at Amber and sheathed his sword, Amber noticed that he did so reluctantly. "Hm, then you best get going. I've got my eye on you, _adventurer_."

Finn just rolled his eyes and sighed. "Sorry about how prickly my companion can be. That's just how he is."

Amber shrugged. "Some people are more willing to trust than others, no harm in that. It's when they dislike you out of spite that I take offense."

Carbos just snorted in reply.

"Anyways," Amber said, ignoring Carbos in almost his entirety, "I should best get going before it's too late to carry on."

Finn smiled and gave a single nod. "Of course, safe travels. If I see you again on the road, I will know I am welcome."

"Likewise," Amber said as a parting and started to walk her way out of the camp. No more than half a minute away from the camp, her fever hit her again. Hard. Searing bright white that faded into red through her eyes, as if they were gazing at the light of the sun her entire life of twenty-one autumns. She staggered and held herself steady, wondering if she should sit down instead of facing the pain that would come with falling, and the lack of control. But it faded soon enough and she realized she could not wait a few days for her fever to tide over; she needed something now. And Finn was there, being an Apothecarius he was honour bound to help the sick.

She walked back, half reluctantly and walked up to Finn. His eyes went a little wide when he saw her. "What happened to _you_? Looks like you saw the Black Guardian himself!"

 _No, I didn't, I only saw the sun during the night_ , her mind said but her voice spoke of something entirely different. "My fever acted up again. Third time this day, and I'm not sure if I can really go on with it being this bad. Do you have anything to put an end to, or at least halt, this illness?"

Finn scratched at his beard, hymning a long unchanging tone before his eyes lit up. "In fact, I do. I've got some gruntroot I can use."

He walked over to the crate filled with bottles and different ingredients all in satchels that seemed to have no sense of order to them. "Gruntroot… gruntroot… gruntroot… Ah! Found it. Sit yourself down by the fire while I make the potion, don't exert yourself."

She took the wooden chair laid by the fire while Finn rushed off to grab a few more ingredients and then go off to the alchemy table they had set up to make whatever potions they were assigned to get and bring back. Carbos grunted as he drank from a bottle of mead. "Are you really helping _her_? You've gone soft."

"I am helping her because it is my duty, Carbos. And yours. You know the oath we both took." Finn scowled.

Carbos just shook his head and made a sound of disdain.

"Is it…? No, it's powder." Finn said to himself as he made the potion. She could see Finn grab a pinch of some powder, red flecked with gold. "Next, the gruntroot… and then some water..."

There was the smallest sound of a snap before something odd happened. Her vision distorted, turning a shade of red and dragging when she looked around. She saw a big explosion at the alchemy station, Finn, slowly moving back in surprise, and she heard voices too. Finn's and Carbos'.

" _They've hit me, Finn. The bastards hit me…_ " Carbos was saying.

" _Damnit! Gods, I'm sorry, Carbos,_ " Finn replied, their voices sounding odd and distant.

And then, as quickly as it had happened, time returned and she looked around. Carbos was still drinking mead and twirling his knife in his other hand, staring at it with a fascination one would get only from boredom, and Finn was recoiling from the alchemy stall, except it… hadn't exploded?

"Ah, damn!" Finn exclaimed. He gathered up the remnants of a potion and put it into a bottle without a cork.

"Great job, old man! Now you've broken our stall!" Carbos said, throwing his knife into the ground. It stuck into the bare soil with a dull _thud_.

"And we'll get a new one back in Ark! It's not that big of a problem, Carbos. And I'll pay for it, so don't get mad about it."

"You're damn right you're paying for it. With your own money, I will add."

Finn shook his head to the heavens and handed the bottle over to Amber, not ungently. She drank as much as she could as quickly as possible. "Here, drink this. It'll only last for a day so you best get going to Riverville now, but again, I hope to see you on the roads eventually. Stay safe."

"Wait, what about the explosion?" Amber asked, confused, when she finally finished the bottle and handed it back to her aged healer.

Finn's eyebrows knitted when he processed the question. "Explosion? It wasn't big, just a few things burned out on the stall. It's nothing to worry over." He shook his head. "Anyways, like I said, I hope that our paths will cross once more, and stay safe."

Amber said she'd do her best and was about to get up when Carbos investigated the stall and then suddenly stood still. He unsheathed his sword and asked the two of them, "Did you hear that?"

She hadn't, but she could say what she heard afterwards. It was a low buzzing sound, growing ever louder like a bee swiftly approaching. In a matter of a second, she found out what it was, along with Finn and unfortunately Carbos; an arrow, which had found its way into the young and prickly Apothecarius. He grunted in pain as a thin stream of blood sprayed from his stomach and began to coat the ground.

"Carbos!" Finn came rushing to his companion's side.

"They've hit me, Finn. The bastards hit me." He said slowly and in a great deal of pain. It was only a few seconds before he completely fell to the hard earth, exhaled his last breath and lay still. Dead.

"Damnit! Gods, I'm sorry, Carbos," Finn exclaimed as he pulled out his bow and nocked and arrow. He cast a glance back at Amber and very nearly yelled, "Go, get out of here!"

And she very nearly had, if it were not for a huge ball of fire that exploded from the still, where she had seen it before, and felt the shockwave blast her with heat and throwing her away like a discarded rag. She felt her head hit something hard and her vision cut to black in an instant, unconscious.


	4. Observer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shortest chapter of the bunch so far, standing at a small 2150 words or so. Also includes the infamous and lovable Jespar; I only hope I got his personality at least mostly correct.

He had seen the entire thing. Well, not _all_ of it, but enough to know almost everything that had happened. He didn't mean to, but he was in the area and was intrigued by the new person he hadn't seen before. The two Apothecarius? He'd seen them pass into the valley days ago, but her? She was either able to sneak past his senses or she had been in the valley for more days than he had, or maybe it was neither.

Nevertheless, she proved to be rather interesting. He couldn't see too much of her, but what he could see was that she had the look of an adventurer of some sort with her. But she wore grey robes which made the colour of her amber hair ever the brighter. It reminded him of the sunsets that Enderal got to see near every day. And she had spent a good amount of time with the older Apothecarius, the one with the silver beard and hair, wrinkled and aged yet not weak nor craven. While the older and younger Apothecari differed in appearance and most of their respective personalities, they had a few things in common, one of them was that they had both died because a bandit group had decided to take them on, and it had proved rather easy.

The woman was different, and he didn't know what to think of her. He hadn't really heard her voice before, only the quietest whispers from the camp that traveled up to under the huge stone that blocked that one valley of Enderal off from the rest of it, and she was a bit too far away to see properly. She had nearly left camp, yet she went back and found herself thrown into a rock face. Why was it that she had gone back to the camp? Maybe it was something to do with how she had stopped and clutched her head as if to keep it from bursting, and how she had looked to almost fall over. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn't really tell the source of them.

He waited until the bandits had collected what they wanted and left, then twenty minutes after that, until he finally descended from the stairs that led up to the trail and outside world, his camp included, and went to find the woman. The two healers were long gone, there was nothing you could do when one died of an arrow and the other was half burned to a crisp by an explosion. The woman though? She had been thrown off, away from danger, and he intended to see if she survived. If not, she probably had _something_ valuable on her.

It was a few minutes before he finally found her, trapped in a thicket that had enclosed around her like a cage, and a few more minutes before he had finally got her out. He felt her heart and detected the beating of her vital organ and felt a sigh escape him. He didn't know why he had held his breath, but he discarded the thought as he examined her more. Her robes were a little charred, but he had spare clothes in his camp she could use, and she had some decent supplies with her. Her boots and gloves weren't the most expensive, but they would serve the role she probably wanted them to. It was a surprise to him that he had found that she had only a knife and not a sword or dagger. But she had survived thus far, so she must be doing something right.

She was quite attractive, he noticed, looking more intently at her face. Her head was more of an oval shape than circle, like his own, and her eyebrows were slight and fine. Her jaw was smooth, like the rest of her face that went down to a small, rounded chin. Her lips came together in a natural purse that complimented the rest of her quite well, if he was any judge. At the centre of her face, high rising cheekbones and a small, straight nose completed her face in a rather astounding way. He had half a mind to feel her hair, but resisted the temptation, because even if no one else knew, it was still an odd thing to do and he would have to live with the memory. If he was ever going to touch her hair, it would be on her own terms when she could have a voice.

The rest of her was quite beautiful as well. The damaged robes had to be removed as they still flickered and glowed with ash and embers just waiting to burst into a flame, so he saw more than anyone had the right to, without even talking to one another at least once. She had worn undergarments, at least, thankfully, so he wouldn't feel completely bad about himself for doing such a thing. She was quite lean, not enough to show too much bone. But she looked well fed. Her body was entirely feminine, with a small yet firm chest, a thin waist, subtly flared hips and a smooth midriff that made her look stunning. Her skin was a light tanned colour, sun-kissed he would say. Her hair seemed the most interesting thing about her, though. Even in the dim light of the stars and moon, her hair shone a rich amber-red. It was rather short yet flowed like wisps of clouds, stretched like thread across the sky.

The only thing that she had to be seen that he winced at were the scars that she carried with her. Most were on her back, and even then it was only three, but there were two more, one on her right arm and one on the back of her left leg. He could see the bright skin that had formed to close the wounds that had once been there. How could a woman like that get scars so bad?

He had debated whether to leave her there and bring down clothes, dress her and then carry her up when she was decent or to bring her up and _then_ give her new clothes. He eventually chose the latter, after he realized how much work he would have to put into the first option. What some people would call lazy, he thought as practical.

He grabbed a tunic and pair of trousers, both made of linen, the tunic dyed green and dressed the woman he had rescued. She looked quite good when she wore the clothing he had put on her. He wondered what she would look like in armour, dressed in steel and wielding a sword and shield. He discarded the idea soon enough; she wouldn't wear something like that. She was too slight for it, too thin and by the looks of it, agile, for any sort of heavy armour.

He let her rest by the fire as he watched the moon drift for a few hours before he turned in for the night, hoping that he would wake before she did. It would avoid problems and complications.

But, try as he might, he couldn't manage to get some sleep. Thoughts kept him up, eventually poking at the fire to watch embers ascend into the sky instead of laying in his bedroll. Who was she? How did she get here? What would she do when she woke up? Questions and no answers to them. At least, not yet. He'd find out soon enough.

She looked half-Kiléan, honestly. She had the facial structure, colour of hair and skin tone to blend right in. Get her a fancy dress from the country and she would look as if she had been born and raised there. For all he knew, maybe she was.

It was wet and rainy by the time that she seemed on the verge of waking up, an hour or so after dawn would have arrived. The clouds had been rather unexpected, as the sky had been mostly clear for hours before and then they just showed up out of nowhere. _A lot like her…_ he thought to himself, as she occasionally shifted or jolted for a moment in her spot. As much as he didn't want to, he always had a hand close to his blades just in case she wasn't who he thought she was. _And who would that be, hm? She looks enough like an adventurer, but maybe she's just a rogue mage. Whoever she is, in Enderal, she's an outcast. I doubt she'll be welcome much here._

When she opened her eyes, he was busy making himself a quick breakfast to stave off his hunger which had grown quite rabid as time passed. A strong gust of wind, forced her hand in front of her face to fend off the flames that seemed a little too eager to devour her. She stood soon enough and noticed him for the first time.

 _Time to speak, I suppose._ "Greetings, lovely day isn't it?"

She didn't speak much. She managed to say "Who are you?" though.

"I am Jespar Dal'Varek, collector of important goods, currently employed by important people. And who might you be?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Amber… my name's Amber."

 _Just like her hair, and her eyes as well._ "Pleased to meet you. I take it you're an adventurer?"

"Not really," she said in a thick accent. If he wasn't mistaken, it was from Ostian. One of the greater cities in Nehrim. "I'm… well, I'm not sure what I am. A person, I suppose."

 _She looks human enough to me_. "Well Amber the Person, what do you remember from before you woke up here? Seems you and your Apothecarii friends had a bad run with some bandits. And before you ask, no, neither of them survived. You're the only one."

"How was I saved?"

"I suspect you were far enough away from the blast to not be incinerated and was instead flung directly into a thicket which mostly broke your fall. I wouldn't recommend moving fast, but you should be fine. You're alive, and I think that's all that matters."

She frowned but nodded. "I suppose so. Still, Finn and Carbos didn't deserve that."

"People don't deserve a lot of things, but life always wishes to be unfair, so unfair it shall be. Can you tell me what you were doing with the Apothecarii?"

"I was trying to find a prevention for the fever I have."

Jespar felt one of his eyebrows quirk up. "Fever? Mind if I check it out?"

Amber pursed her lips for a moment and then nodded. "Okay, I trust you."

"You have my thanks." He inspected her and came to a conclusion with what she had soon enough after. "Hm, seems you've got something commonly called 'Arcane Fever'. It's a common occurrence when people find out they can use magic. I personally can't do it, but I know a few people who do and have recognized the symptoms well enough."

She jaw dropped a little and her eyes widened. It was only there for a second before she regained her composure. "So I really _can_ use magic..."

"Seems so. You'd better go to Ark soon though because you can't suffer with Arcane Fever forever. It leads to sickness and then death. Before that though, it turns you into an insane lunatic."

"Wait, this magic can kill me?" She seemed even more stunned by that than she did when she learned she could use the magic that could kill her.

Jespar nodded. "Yes. That is one of the unfortunate side effects of being able to use magic; your body and mind can't handle it and it takes a ritual from the mages of the Sun Temple in Ark to make sure it won't affect you as badly."

"What is Ark? I'm not from here."

"Oh, it's the capital of Enderal. Built into a mountain; rather nice to look at. Where are you from?"

She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should say such a thing to him but eventually did so. "I'm from Ostian."

Jespar felt himself make a motion that signified clarity. " _Right_ , I knew the accent sounded familiar." He paused for a moment before speaking again. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you get here? You don't know where Ark is, or what it is a few minutes ago and there's no ports on this side of Enderal."

She told Jespar to sit down, which he did. Then she clasped her hands together and sucked in a deep breath and began to tell her tale; at least, what she was willing to say. There were things she didn't say or excluded.

"Well, it all started when I met Sirius, I suppose…"


	5. Flow

He was listening. She could tell. He soaked up each word of her story and even commented on some of the events that she had shared. She felt a little nervous talking the way she did, with her accent, but she couldn't help it. Jespar's way of speaking was so much more… refined, she supposed. Every word was carefully pronounced and made sure to be said exactly how it should be. Of course, to her, it was an accent all on it's own.

She had felt tears start to come as she spoke of Sirius and her time with him. They had just remained friends, but it was still important to her. He was the first friend she could really say she had. There were the friendly acquaintances that she had had when she was a beggar on the streets of Ostian, people who remembered her and didn't try to take what little she had when she walked by, but they could never be considered friends.

Sirius was more fortunate than her. He was raised by a family from Enderal in Ostian, kept in a house with food and clothes and all the necessities, along with luxuries. His father was a blacksmith and his mother was a merchant who sold what her husband made. All in all, a pretty good life. They made better weapons and armour that everyone else in the city, aside from the blacksmith who worked in the castle, only making usable products for the royals, their guards and the city watch. So, of course, that brought about the other blacksmith's envy. But, they never really harassed them. It was, actually, bandits who raided a wagon filled with weapons and armour that were going to be sold to a neighbouring city. In the process, it killed Sirius' parents and left him without house and home. He was on the streets for no more than a few weeks before he found Amber, and from there a friendship formed, an idea to escape Ostian and Nehrim's civil war was formed and, well, his death and almost her own soon followed.

She told Jespar of the voyage, as much as she was willing to say, Sirius, the Veiled Woman and what she had said, and how the captain had ordered her death alongside her friend. She chose to leave out how pathetic she was when that had happened. She told of her experience she thought of as death, her vision, the temple and everything up until when the explosion had knocked her unconscious. Jespar soaked up every word and listened better than anyone else she had known.

But she did not tell him of her life before her first encounter with Sirius. That was for her alone to know, at least for the time being. Others didn't need to know her pain and suffering from childhood.

When she finished, he nodded in understanding. "Hm, well that's quite the adventure you've had so far."

"So you believe me?" She asked. She was honestly expecting him to laugh and say she was insane, but it seemed he trusted in her words.

Jespar smiled a little; a handsome smile that, if he was standing in the sun, Amber was sure his teeth would sparkle like in the stories father used to read her. "I do, fair lady. It's the perfect amount of crazy and odd to be perfectly believable. I doubt you'd go through the hassle of detailing it all for me if it was a lie."

Exactly. She had little time for this, if she could believe Jespar's diagnosis, and she did, so the sooner she could be on her way to Ark for a cure the better. The problem, of course, being that she had no map and had only the vaguest clue that it was 'east' of a town called Riverville. "Lying's more trouble than it's worth, anyways." She said as she looked out from the camp and down to the trees and tall green grass and the crystal water bordered by golden sands, all bathed in a warm golden light from the sun and sighed. The clouds had long since gone as she told her tale to Jespar the sellsword and now it was an ideal day; how she imagined the day before would have been if she hadn't arrived at sunset. "I really must thank you for everything you've done, but I suppose it's time to go to Ark and get my magical abilities dealt with."

She had nearly turned around when Jespar spoke up. "Now hold on a minute, you can't just say farewell without receiving one, and I have a proposition for you, if you're willing to hear it." He was persuasive and charming, Amber had to give him that. She rested a hand on her hip and inclined her head towards the aged mercenary.

He continued. "Well, I doubt you know the way to Ark. And it just so happens my current employer is there, but I can't return until I've done my job. Plus, the roads are much more dangerous now than even a month ago. So, here's my idea: you help me with my task and I will accompany you to Ark. There, we can either part ways or decide to stay in contact, it's your choice."

She looked closer at Jespar, watching his silver hair flow in the subtle breeze, his smoothed jawline and beard that was only allowed to grow on his chin. She looked at his bright green eyes, full of mystery and playfulness and decided that she'd probably like that. "Well, I have to say knowing a mercenary will probably be very useful in the coming days, as I mean to be rather renowned in the coming future."

He smirked and his eyes lit even brighter. "Oh? You plan to conquer the world with your headaches and unskilled magic?"

She pursed her lips and looked down at the ground, playing along. Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. Jespar wouldn't know until a while later. "Maybe. I have to keep it unspoken until the plan is better."

Jespar chuckled and sat down on a nearby rock. "So I take it you accept my little idea?"

Amber nodded.

"Great! Then here's what I need you to do. There's a man called Yero I was sent to find information about. He went all berserk in the Sun Temple in Ark, where my employer is from, and ended up murdering around twenty apprentices, raving on about how humanity is corrupt and deserves to be punished. Burned them all to a crisp using magic… a horrid affair, really. We're supposed to find out about why Yero did his final act. So, you'll be talking to one of his old childhood friends for information and I remember a village kid saying they saw Yero throw something into the river a little ways from Riverville, near his childhood home.

"The man's name is Alfrid and you can find him in Riverville as well. I will be at Yero's house to find anything of importance, and I'm sure Alfrid can mark it on the map you'll inevitably get while in town. Oh, and, you can keep the clothes I gave you. I can always get more."

Amber looked down and noticed her robes were no longer on her and in it's place was more common clothes. As simple as the clothing was, it felt to her like it was the clothing a king would wear. They were certainly less suspicious and more comfortable than her musty old robes, she had to admit. "...Thanks. You didn't see… anything, private… right?" She had to ask.

Jespar placed a hand over his heart and stood as nobly as he could. "I swear on my honour as a Dal'Varek that I never saw you in anything less than your undergarments; they remained on you at all times."

If he was any other person, she probably would have glared at them, but she just felt she couldn't do it to him, so instead she nodded, mumbled a thanks and said she'd see him in a good number of hours. He agreed on her time estimate and waved her off, before quickly saying one more thing.

"Oh, and at the risk of sounding heartless, I think you should go back to the Apothecarii camp to see if there's anything still valuable left. I never had a chance to check myself, what with hauling you out of a thicket and up to camp and everything."

And at the risk of _being_ heartless, she said that she would. She saw the old wooden tower of the fishery in the opposite direction of where she was going and decided to go and see if there was anything left. They were kind, dead and had no use for worldly things. As cold as it could sound, it was the truth and most of the time, the truth is harder to accept than lies.

When she looked back, Jespar was busy putting out the little fire he had going and was packing up the camp to move off to Yero's house, at least for a short while. She descended the steps and soon found herself back in the camp, along with one bandit who had stayed behind for one reason or another. Needless to say, he was not very impressed to see a commoner waltz into the camp he had been plundering and pulled out his bow. Fortunately, Amber had not forgotten what she had learned the day before and was able to conjure magical flames from her hand and let them engulf the bow the bandit was holding. The man hissed as he dropped the flaming bow as bright scarlet flames caught and began devouring the cuff of his clothes.

He paid little attention to it and more on Amber, pulling out his dagger and wielding it with practiced skill. She instinctively held her own blade in such a way that seemed as though she had even more experience than the bandit. He remained unintimidated and charged her suddenly. She yelped as she instinctively thrust her knife out into the air and cried out as she felt something _thunk_ against it, wet and hot. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the bandit had the knife lodged in his neck and had been dead within a few moments of the impact. His dagger fell from nerveless fingers onto the clear, plantless ground. She stumbled back and looked at the ruby blood that coated her hand and stained her sleeves before she turned over and retched.

She was thankful for her urgency as she had not consumed anything since the gruntroot potion and that was a long time ago. She was stunned though. She had seen people die… Sirius, Finn and Carbos… she had seen dead people too, like in the temple… but _none_ of it prepared her in the slightest to the feeling of taking someone else's life herself. Not time, not wolves, not bandits, _her_. The very thing Sirius had pleaded so desperately for them both to keep, and she had taken it away from someone else. How could people even get used to that?

But she knew she had to remain strong and not break down. As human as she was, she had to remember that self preservation is more important than the preservation of others if it's kill or be killed. When she finally found the courage, she pulled the knife out of the man's throat, not even daring to look at the body, and walked to the river in the valley where the camp was not far from and washed her sleeves and hands and knife. She grimaced as she watched the water turn crimson as she soaked her bloodsoaked forearms and watched her limbs shift back into their peach tone. Afterwards, she made sure she felt at least somewhat clean before she continued on her way and scavenged the camp for things she could use.

The bandit had arrows that she could potentially find purpose for, if she would ever use a bow, which she decided she wouldn't. Magic would serve her just fine. Perhaps a light sword as well. There were some pennies she found and took, as from experience, she knew she needed all the coin she could get. It was a rare commodity that was rather difficult to come across. There were a few potions that could heal her wounds and rejuvenate her energy reserves in case she became too fatigued. There was also a little bit of food she could eat later when she really needed it, but for now it would do just fine packed up in some spare cloth and then in her new pack, appropriated from Finn, the former Apothecarii.

She found two amulets on Finn and Carbos when she went to inspect them, as bad as she had felt. The amulets were made of copper encased in a thin layer of gold with a bright pink gemstone in the middle, carved into the shape of a four-sided diamond like the amulet. She'd have to give them to someone, someone who would honour the deaths of Finn and Carbos. As heartless as she felt for searching over them and their camp and picking it clean, she felt better at the prospect of making sure they were at least remembered and honoured _somewhere_ in Enderal. She also found a sword, the one Carbos had, if she remembered correctly. It was a simple sword, steel and a simple grey that displayed no hidden strength. But, it was sharper and longer than her knife, so she decided to take it along as well, placing it on her belt so she could easily use it in her dominant hand; her left one to be precise.

When she was done stripping the camp of things she could carry, she went back up to where Jespar had set up his camp. It was gone by the time she made it back up, the only evidence it was even there being a stamped out fire with loose dirt kicked over it. She followed in the sellsword's old footsteps and made her way away from the valley and out to the shoreline. As she walked along an old wooden bridge, still completely functional and not really worn down, she couldn't help but look out at the world as she put one foot in front of the other. The view never ceased to amaze her; just how exquisite and vibrant the world could get and how much like a nature-filled paradise it could look when under a golden sun.

It wasn't long before she encountered her second bandit for the day. The bandit was splashing some water on her face when Amber tried to walk by. The bandit shot upwards and turned to look at Amber. Amber felt her hand stray to the sword on her hip and felt the subtle warmth of ethereal fire dance along her fingertips. "Hey now, I don't want any trouble."

The bandit smiled, although it never reached her eyes. A formality that wasn't needed. "Give me what you got there and we won't have any, I promise."

Amber stood her ground, pulling her sword out of it's sheath. "I'm afraid this is all mine. But if you want to die getting it, you can try I suppose."

The bandit chuckled and unsheathed her own weapon. "Gladly."

Amber remained still as the bandit charged until she was close enough that she couldn't deviate from her course. Amber sidestepped and slammed her sword into the bandit's back. The bandit grunted in pain and Amber felt her stomach clench when she saw fresh blood pour out from under her opponent's armour. The Kiléan turned to face her opponent and took a few steps back. The bandit swung her own weapon, an axe built for splitting skulls more than wood, and was surprised when Amber managed to smack her sword against the head of the axe and send it off balance. Amber found mercy in herself and stabbed the sword as deep as she could into the bandit's chest as she could. The bandit gasped sharply as she felt the steel pierce her chest and looked down at it for a moment before falling to her knees and falling over when Amber pulled the sword out.

 _Where did_ that _come from? I… I never knew how to do that before…_ Amber wondered, questioning herself and her abilities. Maybe it was just a fluke? Something to happen simply because of a nearly subconscious thought? Perhaps. She didn't know, and maybe she never would truly know the answer. That's just how life was sometimes; you never know the reasons why something happened, but you know that it did.

The bandit had a few things of value on her, mainly a small pouch of pennies that Amber took for herself. She felt bad for having to loot dead bodies for supplies, but sometimes evil was born from necessity. Some thicker gloves were also taken, and thankfully her own size. She ended up finding the bandit's camp some ten minutes away from where the bandit had been. It was across the river and just in a small alcove set into the rocks, hidden by overgrown vegetation. There was a small fire swiftly turning to embers and red coals against the stone with a tiny portable chest with some extra pennies and chunks of gold and silver. Had she found the metals in the river? Well, even if she had, there was no time to spend trying to get more; she had a task to do.

She found a second bandit camp along the river as she went closer and closer to the shoreline. There was a bandit there too, as to be expected, who was easily dispatched and then reluctantly looted along with the camp itself. When Amber finally found her way back to the road, she was carrying several more pounds worth of things to sell, with the occasional cluster of coins thrown in.

When she made it back across the stream, she decided the best course of action was to go along the few meter high cliff beside her, where she had originally come from at an earlier point in the day. The grass was quite tall, about half way up her calf, and just as bright and vibrant as the secluded valley had been when she had first seen it, sunset scarlet in the distance. A few times she stopped and simply admired the world around her. She was never one to call herself a 'purist' who thought mankind should destroy their cities and live in the wilderness, but she always appreciated nature. Maybe that came from growing up in a world where instead of trees, there were tall, cold stone structures and instead of grass there was mud. Whatever the reason, she knew the world was beautiful when you looked at it enough and noticed the little nuances that it showed, as if it were all one big thing, living and breathing just like humanity.

She always had to shake herself out of her reverie and start down the trail again, passing over fallen logs and under tall, proud trees with leaves as green as could be, around clusters of red and purple mushrooms and salt-and-pepper flecked rocks. With every step she took, she knew she was getting closer and closer to her current destination, Riverville. And, eventually, to Ark. After that, she didn't know, but she knew her feet would lead her to exactly where she wanted to be.

There were enemies on the road to Riverville, because of course there was. She had expected bandits as three were already dead due to her, so she had reasoned to take the wilderness instead of the road. What she had not expected to run into, were spiders. Not the small, creepy, but mostly harmless spiders that had infested the darker and less travelled parts of the Ostian, but huge ones larger than herself that could probably get stuck in a doorway. It had taken everything in her not to turn around and run until she was out of breath and back to the trail she had left. She instead let her magic dance and swirl on her fingertips and draw her sword.

To make things even worse about the spiders, they spit poison. Or what she had guessed to be poison. Because of course it did. What else would a spider spit? Thankfully, she had sidestepped it as the big ball of toxins were flung lazily through the air, and had made it within magic distance so she didn't hold back on her magic. She cast the spell for a few seconds, making sure she didn't overwork herself and used her sword to stab into the monstrous spider, right between its eight eyes and nearly into the dirt. When the spider fell to the ground and shrivelled up like spiders normally did, she shuddered and gagged on the acrid scent of burning giant arachnid and fled the area as quick as she could. There was nothing she would be getting from the dead spider so no point in sticking around.

As she passed by ruined structures and starving wolves, she became more and more certain she would need to keep her sword ready, and eventually she didn't even bother to sheath it. In one part of her journey, she even encountered a bear who had not gotten far in the whole 'kill the human' plan, what with being set on fire and then stabbed in the head and all. It was a few hours before she saw the river again and noticed a trail going alongside it, but it was much less used and there were a few plants encroaching on its borders so probably no bandits. She decided to follow it, walking along the dirt that was shaded by slanted trees that extended far over the stony ridge they were positioned on to block the sun on all who walked under them. As she followed it, she began to notice smoke in the distance, and not just one plume of it. With an exclaim of joy, she nearly ran towards the columns of grey smoke and stopped when she stood over a rock overlooking much of the surrounding area, looking at the wooden buildings and turning watermill.

She made it to Riverville at last.


	6. Yero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos, comments, bookmarks and subscriptions are, as always, very much appreciated.

The town was pretty simple, all things considered. Not nearly as grand as Ostian. Every building was made of wood, some with a cobblestone foundation, others without. All the buildings had wooden slates for their roofs and some had windows. There were a few farms on the side of the river that she was on and she saw the majority of the village on the other side of the flowing water. She made her way over to the larger and more important part of the city as soon as she could. It was where Alfrid was undoubtedly, so there she would be. But priorities were in order, and Amber felt rather famished, so it was food she would go and find first.

Her search led her up the hill a good amount of the town was situated on, even on the slope, even though there were more buildings on the top and bottom of the hill. There, after asking several individuals on where food could be found, she was directed to the local inn filled with a half dozen people you'd expect to find at such a location a little after noon. There, she bought herself a drink and a small bowl of stew to keep her satisfied.

The inn itself was pretty simple and exactly what you'd expect of an inn built in a small town such as Riverville. There were half a dozen benches with a cackling hearth off to the left as soon she walked in with the innkeeper and the infamous counter they are always behind at the very end of the room. Off to the left a little ways past the hearth was a doorway that extended into the what Amber could only assume to be the rooms you could rent. Only one of the six people within the inn actually even glanced at her, the rest were either talking amongst themselves or losing themselves in alcohol, and on one occasion, both. She ate her stew as quickly as she could, more than a little eager to escape the stuffy, sweat-smelling inn and continue on her way with plenty of fresh air filling her lungs.

As she left, she soon came upon one of the few guards within the town. At least, she assumed them to be guards. They wore armour, had weapons and a set uniform of a white phoenix on red with white, chainmail evident underneath, and a shield with the same design along with a weapon. They were roaming around the town and not doing any harm, so they could only be town guards. She walked up to one of them, a man a handful of inches taller than herself - no difficult challenge there - and rather handsome, with a fine jawline and oval face accompanied by a straight nose and without a hint of stubble although a red line was visible on his cheek, so it was rather clear he had shaved recently. When she got close enough, she asked the guard a question. "Do you know where Alfrid is? I'm new around here and don't really know my way around."

The guard had an easy smile on his face as he spoke. "Of course, he spends most of his time outside his home here on the hill. He's just a level lower right now, should be sweeping the pathway if I were to guess."

Amber nodded her thanks and started her way down to Alfrid, or where he was assumed to be. "Walk blessed!" she called after a few steps.

"Safe travels!" was the reply.

True to his word, Alfrid was outside sweeping the walkway, back hunched as he focused on a task that seemed he only did to pass the time. He was an older man than he had expected, somewhat like Jespar, but time had not been so easy on Alfrid. His hair was a light silver and thinning and his face was covered with wrinkles. His clothes were as common as common could be and his shoes had a thin layer of dust and dried dirt on them.

Amber cleared her throat once she got close enough. "Uhm, excuse me, are you Alfrid?"

The man stood up to full height and flicked his eyes downwards so he could look into hers. "I am, who are you?"

"Amber," she said quickly, "newcomer to Riverville. Ehm, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions about someone you might have known: Magister Yero?"

Alfrid sighed and sat down on the nearby bench that sat under a tall tree with bright green leaves. Every plant in that part of Enderal seemed to radiate good health and beauty. "Yes, I knew him. Come, sit down, rest for a little." Amber obeyed his simple request and sat down on the bench with him. He leaned back and looked up at the clear blue sky. "Where to start… Well, I know you're asking about the incident in the Sun Temple. Ah, Yero and I were the best of friends when we were younger. As far back as I can go, I remember him and I making trouble in this very town… And what happened in the Temple… as awful as it was, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. It was only a matter of time."

Amber looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Yero was always an odd one. He did some unusual things and said weird things, but he was still my best friend. Well, seemingly until his mother died."

"Not from natural causes, I assume?" Amber asked.

Alfrid shook his head. "No, no it wasn't. She was killed by bandits on her way to Ark with three other women. None of them survived. It's more common of a death these days, but before, the roads were considered much safer. Much, much safer. I think what hurt Yero the most was how badly the death affected his father. He became a drunkard, yet Yero seemed to nearly… profit off of it, in lack of a better word.

"When he wasn't helping his drunken father, he was helping the village in any way he could. He was a great person to have around the town, everyone knew him and gave him a smile when he walked past and he was like a gift from the Gods themselves. But, he was always filled with something… a sadness, and anger that I don't think he recognized he had. It was the anger that gave him the energy to do everything he did, and as he got more and more involved with the village, he started to neglect me, his best friend. He seemed to age much faster too. When I was nine, he seemed fifteen, when I was twelve, he seemed twenty.

"He had done so many good things for the town that, eventually, a representative of the Order itself came and evaluated him. And it turned out that along with all his natural and practiced skill, he had magic talents dormant inside him. They shipped him off to Ark immediately and entered his novitiate only a few months after, and he hardly ever returned. When he did, he didn't ever visit me much and he didn't stay long either. Just kind of, check up on the village and make sure it was alright and continue on his way back to Ark. The town suffered a bit once he was gone because he filled a gap in near everyone's life, but we got back on our feet soon enough.

"I knew someday that the anger and hatred inside him would one day lash out in some odd way. I was surprised it took as long as it did for it to happen, actually. Not to say what happened wasn't horrible, but it was rather inevitable." He sighed deeply and shifted his gaze more to the tree and the leaves that created an aura of green around it's brown wooden branches. "It… it pains me to speak of Yero like that, but I know it was the truth. But with the rumours of his eyes alight like fire, that I don't know the cause of. In any case, I think I've kept you listening to an old man's tale long enough. I assume you got what you were looking for?"

Amber nodded as she too looked up at the sky and watched the world. "Yes, I do."

Alfrid stood up after a few seconds of silence and looked down on Amber still sitting on the bench. "Well, I've told what I can, as brief as I could make it, yet I still feel weary. The joys of getting old, I tell you. I pray you will never experience them as badly as I am. I will go inside and rest now, but I wish you a good day."

"You as well," Amber said absently, hardly even noticing Alfrid walk off back into his home.

She sat there for some time, eventually going so far as to close her eyes and simply listen to the world. The songbirds, the people, the footsteps, the distant gurgling of the river, and the sound of her own breathing. It was nice to just have some time to relax and listen, and it was a luxury to her. She had never really experienced peace like this in a long time. Maybe even her entire life. She sighed contentedly.

The sounds faded. Rather suddenly too. It puzzled her enough for her to open her eyes. When she did, she gasped, for she had returned to the small temple and the endless ocean with the sky of a billion stars. All she could hear was the distant rolling of the waves and the soft breeze coming from a direction she felt was north. Maybe. Could be south for all she knew.

The nine pillars were back, standing tall and proud as ever and with the one ball of starlight at the pillars soaked in rich blue light. As she looked up at the sky once more, she realized that the clouds and their various and distinct colours had formed something; shapes, and on further inspection, all people. The red and orange and scarlet formed into a massive warrior wielding a battleaxe and a shield with a tall horned helmet. The one over was green and formed a hooded man with a knife in one hand, cloak flowing freely behind him as he attempted to sprint across the sky. A thief or assassin, her mind concluded. At last, the blue was a tall and proud mage, robes cascading down him like waterfalls of fabric, staff in hand and long beard drifting in the same direction his robes were. The very core of the staff shone as bright as the moon on a clear night sky.

At last she realized what each pillar represented; might, stealth and magic. What each pillar did exactly, she didn't know, but as she walked up to the blue one with her lonesome star down by her feet, she had a feeling deep inside her to make a choice between the three. She chose the one farthest to the left, after a small mental battle had been fought and won in her mind. She found the closest groove to the one the floating star at her feet had, following the line it lead to the small dip in the stone. She pressed her index and middle finger against the surface of it and let her face form a smile when she saw pure white light flow between and around her fingers, drifting outwards away from the stone and hover in the air just like the first one had.

_ Amazing… _ she thought as she felt a number of things becoming clearer in her mind. The spells she had learned seemed less garbled and she was rather happy to be filled with such a sudden sense of clarity. The spells had very nearly become intelligible to her. She sat down in the middle of the small temple, letting each pillar face her directly and closed her eyes again, letting herself drift away from that world and back into reality.

The sounds came back as sudden as they had faded and when she opened her eyes, it seemed like no time had passed at all. She was still there, sitting under the tree on the bench and looking up at the sky. She had moved but the world did not; time was not a factor in the other realm.

She was ready to start on her way to Yero's old house when her thoughts strayed rather abruptly to Sirius. She paused and could only blink. In her hurry to start her new life and cure her of her magical ailment, she had forgotten about her friend. Former friend. It was… hard to accept he had even died. She wished it was a bad dream, but it never explained why she had washed up along a shore. Nor did anything really, she assumed the waves and wind had brought her there but why there specifically? Where even was the ship when she had been thrown overboard? That didn't seem to matter much to her in the past.

Her mind went back to Sirius. His smile, his optimism for the future, his friendship. That was what she valued most about him; his sense of loyalty and friendship that never sunk. Even back on the ship he was speaking for the both of them, not just himself. That was as commendable as the most gallant of acts, she knew. She missed him deeply. Things would have been different if he were along with her on this adventure. She didn't like going alone, and Jespar seemed more of a replacement, albeit a more handsome one. So, one point for the mercenary at the very least. He needed a burial, for there was no way he could have ever survived that stab to the chest. He was dead before he was even thrown overboard, but maybe he would wash up along the coast or perhaps he would be lost forever. She would never truly know.

He was the one person in this world that made her feel… normal, wanted, accepted. He was a beggar like her, but he always brought her the world. In many ways, he had done an exchange; his life for her's. And that was gift Amber knew she had to cherish.

With her friend's thoughts in her mind, she made her way to the market to sell what she had been carrying for no better purpose than more coins. It took a lot of bartering, but she had ended up with nearly seventy coins in total, so overall it was a good run. If a little adventuring got her that much, she would have to do it more often. If she had the stomach for it. It was hard work and more dangerous than, say, being a serving girl in one of the many doubtless inns that existed within Enderal. Or being a harlot, perhaps, but she would never resign herself to such a life. That was something she could not do. It would be spitting on Sirius' memory in the harshest way.

Once she had sold her spare equipment and checked out the stalls of what everyone was selling, finding nothing worth her pennies, she made her way down the hill and across the bridge, passing by the outskirting farms and making her way off to Yero's home, making a shortcut by the shore by the house in order to get whatever the Magister had thrown into the water, hoping it was never to be found. Despite Sirius being on her mind, she did her best to enjoy the world around her and find peace in his death. She could afford to mourn, but then wasn't the best of times. Maybe when she was alone and not in the open world filled with dangerous wildlife and bandits and the ever-dreaded giant spiders she would be able to cry over the loss of her friend, as she knew she would. It was only a matter of time.

She came upon shoreline soon enough, about an hour of walking or so, with scatterings of shells and rocks with waves of golden sand between them. The clear water made the ground underneath it shiver and dance, always changing shape. She walked into it and gasped at the chill of the ocean water, despite the sun blazing over it, high in the sky as it was. It was closing in on evening, but it was not yet halfway across the sky from noon so she had time. As she got deeper into the water, she looked around for anything and everything that could be what she was looking for, finding nothing more than stones and rocks until she was up to her breasts in ocean. There, she saw a lockbox that had been thrown rather roughly into the water. It was laying on its side and back, lying over the sand like it had fallen down from splashing in the water.

She bent down as best she could to grab it but her mind would always go try to go under the water with her arms and she recoiled each time, the tips of her amber hair spraying streams of water into the air as she did so. She couldn't handle the sensation of water beginning to surround her chin, it brought unpleasant memories of a day ago forth and she shuddered despite herself.

Instead, she kicked the box across the sand and up until she could actually bend down and grab it without having to dip her head into the water. From there, she walked over to the shore and opened the case which had a small book in it, untouched by the water that had surrounded it in it's entirety. As she opened it up and began to read it, she realized it was a journal, explaining him as a person. She shook her head and snapped the leather-bound book closed and decided to bask in the sun instead. She'd rather not know what was inside it and left that up for Jespar; he was older and could handle it better than she could. She had enough trauma in her life and she didn't need Yero's alongside it.

As she walked to Yero's old home, letting the sun dry her clothes as best they can - along with her helping by wringing them out when she was sure she was alone - she began to wonder the majesty that Ark would be. She imagined high stone walls, bright red brick tiles for the roofs, stone bricks for the walls of homes and the pathways around the city, bustling markets, active smitheries, fine jewellery, clothes, wines, ales, paintings, music and warm smiles. It sounded too good to be true, yet her mind could not stop on imagining how amazing Ark must be. It was the very capital of Enderal and from where the Lightborn exerted their power across the known world. There was no way it could be any less than.

Yero's home was more destroyed than she had imagined, but she supposed it made sense. He was an orphan, and he had left for Ark a long time ago. It seemed only fitting that it would rot and decay without proper care. She walked up the old and battered steps, worn by time, and investigated the place. It was rather large, much like her own childhood home, if larger still. Most of everything was destroyed by the time she came along, time and bandits and wildlife having gotten to it a long time before she had ever left Ostian. Even before she was born. It was a few minutes before she realized the place had a hatch that led into a second level and she had very nearly stormed off, cursing herself a fool for ever trusting in Jespar. He was not a friend, she had to remind herself, but a simple mercenary who's only loyalty lay with coin. Give him a hundred coins and tell him to kill, he'll do it. If he was paid double to return the favor, he'd gladly do that too.

The cellar was a lot dimmer than the outside world was and she had to give her eyes a little time to adjust. The place was riddled with evidence of spiders and other smaller lifeforms that she would rather not see. Cobwebs covered every corner and old, musty crate. She smelled a faint odor of mold and fungi and wrinkled her nose in disgust before moving on. Her path lead her down the only way she felt she could go, through a hallway that led into a further room with a small iron lantern flickering against a wooden pillar. There was an old bookshelf in the room, some old web-covered wooden boxes and a table with two chairs. And in one of the chairs sat Jespar, playing with one of his daggers, tapping on the metal in boredom.

Jespar's eyes flicked to Amber and a light smile graced his lips. "Ah, good to see you're still alive. I was worried you had gotten eaten by a bear, spider, or perhaps a troll. What time is it anyways?"

Amber thought about it for a moment, squinting her eyes and staring off into the foreground. "I would say a little past five after noon…"

"Hm, so not too long. Only been sitting here for an hour or so. Regardless, I assume you've gotten the information you had to seek out?"

Amber nodded and delved into what Alfrid had said, saying as much as her mind cared to remember and bring forth. Jespar listened as intently and focused as he had earlier that day and she found herself warmed inside simply because of it. It felt good to have someone to speak to like… like she had done with Sirius. She fought off the emotions that wanted to sweep her away and pressed on with the information she had gathered, finishing it all off by handing Jespar the journal she had collected from Yero's strongbox. He skimmed through it rather quickly, eyes flicking over each page in a matter of a minute or two each until he had finished.

"Hm," he said, scratching at the silver facial hair on his chin, "seems our good Yero was a 'good' man 'til the end. What I had gathered in the time that you were gone, and what you had said, makes more sense now. He wished to change the world, but it would not change for him. You know, the Wise Hermit has a saying for that, 'people are only idealists until it starts to hurt'. Seems Yero was one of those people." He shrugged a little indifferently. "Oh well, not everyone fulfils their ambitions that seem too huge to comprehend. Anyways, I found something further in Yero's home that I need your help with."

Jespar sat up and pushed himself from the table, brushing past Amber and making his way down a tunnel on the other side of the room. Amber followed him but kept her wits about her, as like she needed to remind herself, Jespar was not a friend. He might try something further on and she had to be ready for anything. Terrible thoughts are often shrouded under the guise of friendliness. But follow she did and no dagger chanced upon her throat in the dark of the tunnel so she could breath a sigh of relief there. When they emerged from the tunnel, they were in a wide, open, rather natural cave that had formed. It was lit by an opening in the ceiling that showed the sky, now just starting to dim as the sun began to set. There were more wooden boxes, some wooden platforms and at the end of it all, a door and wall of steel bars.

Jespar walked up to the door and Amber followed in his footsteps. He turned and spoke to Amber as he would a highborn lady. "This is what I happened to find, a lock on a door that is obviously hiding something. Why would you need a lock if you were hiding nothing, after all? Anyways, it's a rather tough lock and not one I can do on my own with ease. This is a Pyrean lock, extremely tough to get into as you need five keys all put into the right holes. But, lucky for us, ol' Jespar knows a special trick to these types of locks. You can replace the keys with wooden stakes, but of course, the stakes break while the keys wouldn't, so you need to be quick about the whole thing. I've carved up the stakes for us and I need you to put them into each of the five slots before the time runs out. You only have about ten seconds between each one."

Amber took five of the stakes Jespar had carved out and laid against the door in an opened crate. She took her time finding each of the keyholes. There were two just where Jespar was, so he could handle those and told him as much, giving him back two of the stakes, and the other three were up above the door itself on a higher ledge in the cave. Two were hidden amongst the crates - which she took the liberty of moving so they would not cause a problem later - and one on a precariously thin ledge to walk across.

When she felt ready, she gave Jespar the signal and started inserting the stakes into the particular holes while Jespar did the same. It was easier with Jespar to help out, she knew, and the last one had proved less of a challenge because of it. As she put in the last stake, she heard a mechanic click followed by Jespar's voice. "Great! It's done, you can come down now. I'll press on through the fold and make sure it's all safe for you, my fair lady."

_ What a gentleman… _ she mused. True enough, the door was open and she could heard Jespar's footsteps in the distance. She rushed to catch up with him, ignoring much of the rather uninteresting tunnel behind the lock. When she caught up, panting slightly, Jespar was waiting for her. " 'Bout time, what took you so long?" He said with an innocent chuckle accompanying it.

Amber rolled her eyes and gave Jespar a light nudge in the shoulder. "Alright Mister 'I'm so gallant', lead the way."

Jespar smiled and inclined his head upwards in a heroic way and did as he was told. He drew his dagger as he went on and Amber started grabbing for the hilt of her blade and started to feel magic on her fingertips. As they rounded a corner, they came upon the end of the tunnel which was a room in it's own right, but it was much thinner than the one previous. It fattened at the end but still remained narrow and tight as all tunnels do. There were stone steps that led upwards a little, a little over the full height of Amber. On the platform starting at the top of the stairs, there was a coffin and a body inside it and on the steps was a being Amber had never seen before.

The creature was definitely feminine, with a thin waist, flared hips and two full breasts on her chest. Her face was, too, feminine in appearance and while she could see a jawline and set of lips along with a straight nose, that was really all there was. The being was almost entirely made of fire and black rock of some sort. She looked like she was a human lantern that had consumed too much oil. The magic on Amber's fingertips died as she realized fire could not harm fire. Jespar's voice caught in his throat and Amber drew her sword. The creature looked at them both and began to drift over to them, as her feet never touched the ground.

Amber braced herself, for she had never even fought anyone until yesterday and now she was fighting a being made of fire. Jespar seemed more nervous too, which would make sense. Only the brave or the foolish would never flinch in the sight of such a being.

The floating flame moved towards the both of them and Amber clenched the grip of her sword tightly, starting to feel the searing heat of the flaming being. They knew it would try to kill them, so Amber did what she felt was the stupidest thing she had ever done in her life and spin around while swinging her sword in a downwards strike, aiming to use the energy from the spin to inflict more damage. As it turns out, that was all that was needed, as the blade hit the flaming woman in the side of the head on an angle, shattering black and shimmering stone and severing head from torso. The creature stopped for a moment and fell to the ground while both Jespar and Amber watched the flames disappear from it's body.

They had both rushed back in case it was a feint and they were both extremely thankful they did, as not two seconds later, the being erupted in a last ditch attempt to kill it's attackers, sending out a nova of flames attempting to hit anything that could burn in the general vicinity. It only managed to set alight a few rather unmoving mushrooms.

Both Jespar and Amber looked at one another for a few seconds before Jespar finally shrugged off the effects of worry and adrenaline. "I suppose we should investigate further and not worry about that flame elemental anymore."

Amber could only nod in agreement, sheath her sword and slowly walk up the steps. She had just killed that thing, with no experience or training, she had just done it like it was something she had been waiting for her entire life. How was that even possible? Maybe it had something to do with that infinite sea she had visited twice in the past two days. Maybe not. She had no real way of knowing at the time. As she walked up the steps and looked at the coffin, she found another book lying at the corpse's feet. She picked it up, dusted the cover off and read some of the pages and found that it was another journal of Yero, saying how he had failed and needed to make it up to his sister or lover… whoever it was, she was definitely long since dead if the body in the coffin was any judge.

She handed the book to Jespar who, once again, flipped through it rather quickly, but still managed to pick up the important information and make a general summary in his mind. Amber was a little envious of that particular ability. "So," he said after reading the pages, "it seems our friend Yero truly was an idealist until it started to hurt, if breaking the law was any indicator."

Amber's eyebrows came together in confusion. "Breaking the law? How?"

"Right… you're not from here. I have to get used to that. It's illegal to bury people here on Enderal, you have to burn them now. Part of some ritual that lets the spirits live another life or some bullshit. It was introduced a few years ago, around the same time rumours of the Lightborn dying started spreading, actually. 'The Gods are dead, therefore, new laws!' was apparently what the Order thought was the best solution to their problem. Of course, they weren't really Gods, because how can a god die? The Lightborn were just great kings and queens, nothing more."

Amber was rather stunned that someone shared her mindset. She had not met many of them, even on Nehrim where an entire civil war was being fought over the same Gods and their apparent deaths. "I actually think a lot like that, believe it or not."

There was a shine in Jespar's eyes and a slight look of surprise. "Huh, good to know I haven't offended you in any way with my little rant. For most people in Enderal, I'm a  _ bit _ too cynical for their taste."

She pointed at herself and shrugged, her face forming a straight line as she did so. "Again, not from Enderal."

Jespar shook his head and chuckled. "I'll remember that eventually, I swear."

With a wistful sigh, he delved into a pouch in his suit of rich blue clothing, overlaid with brown leather and grey metal rings, and produced two scrolls of the same size. "These are teleportation scrolls. We don't really understand how they work, but they do. These will take us to Riverville so we can make that grand journey of Ark that I had promised I'd accompany you on. They're a little scary using for the first time, I'll admit, but they work just fine if you have a basic understanding of magic which you seem to have no trouble about. I noticed the little flames you had made in your hand before fighting that elemental. Anyways, I'll be at the inn when you want to go to Ark, but I suggest we do it soon. Night's coming and the roads are safer then, if we can't take a Myrad. I'll see you soon."

He read the scroll and let the magic drag him off the ground and seemingly dissolved him. He had shown no worry though, so she supposed she shouldn't be afraid either. But she wanted to see the sky at least once more before she read the scroll, because it might be the very thing that could end her life, even if Jespar didn't mean it.

She spent the next hour watching the brilliant sunset before finally setting her mind back to Riverville.


	7. Wanderers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has to be my favourite chapter of the 11 that I've written so far. Something about the pacing and challenge of finding new ways to describe something to avoid repetition...  
> I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

After the sunset, oh so similar to the previous day with gold and scarlet radiating from the sky, she finally looked back to the scroll resting in her hand. Her hand had sweat a little as she clutched the rolled up parchment but it was minor damage and none of the lettering had been smudged. She remembered how easy it had been for Jespar and how confident he was and steeled herself for whatever was to come. She stood up, opened the scroll and read it how she did the spell tomes of yesterday. The letters made more sense than back then, with her newfound understanding of magic, and she knew that she had done it right. At least, she hoped she did. The scroll, just like the spell tomes, crumbled and faded away into ash and dust at her feet once she had used it. She felt the magic she had just activated raise her off the ground and her mind seemed to leave her body, like they were no longer connected somehow. She closed her eyes and waited.

Within a second, she felt herself falling towards the ground and put her hands out to stop herself from hitting the ground too hard. When she opened her eyes, she knew she was no longer outside Yero's old home and was instead back at Riverville. Her mind and body seemed connected once more so that was a good thing at the very least. She recognized the courtyard that housed several stalls with people who had since gone home. She was back and she had done it, yet her head was ringing and her throat was dry. Her stomach roiled and she was thankful the last time she had food was a handful of hours ago. Teleportation had to get easier with use, though. It only made sense. Practice almost always made you better.

As she stood up, she looked about her. No one else had seemed to notice the spectacle as no one was even where she was, all either at home or at the inn, and she began to make her way down to the inn that she had visited before to meet Jespar. She had no real business where she was anyways, so it seemed only in her best interest to make it to Ark as swiftly as possible.

Jespar was closest to the bartender within the inn that was now much more densely populated, sitting on a stool on the other side of the counter from the drinks. Almost every bench was filled and there was laughter and chatter coming from all around. Hardly anyone paid her any attention; she looked as normal as the rest of them except for the sword at her side. It was the most intriguing part about her, as her clothes were as normal as normal could be and she looked as human as anyone else in the room, overall plain and uninteresting. He put down his drink and grinned brightly as she approached. "Ah, good to see you made it out alive, my lady! Those scrolls can be rather tough to learn and handle the first few times you use them, but it gets better with use. Oh, and before I forget, I saw you take on that Elemental and have figured you're a type of spellsword, right? You use both magic and weapons?"

Amber agreed after thinking on it for a few seconds. "Yeah, that seems to be who I've become."

"I think I'd be like you if I found I had magic. It's spectacular and all, but there's just something about thwacking your enemy with hard, reliable steel… Anyways, got these for you. They're books and it's best to read them when you have the time. They have valuable information in them that you can use. I know I've read a few in my time, they're pretty useful."

He had three books, each one had something scribbled across the cover. _Swords and daggers_ was one of them, _Elementarism_ was another and _Rhetoric_ was the last one. "Rhetoric?"

Jespar smiled the way that she could now mimic with near-perfect accuracy and there was a humorous gleam in his eyes. "Helps you learn to get better deals with those pesky, greedy shopkeepers. Also helps if you're wanting to impress a noble or act and speak like one. The others are more simple to understand their purpose, I'm sure, and you can read them on your own time. For now, I say we set off rather soon, the sooner the better actually, as it's just turning to night. If we leave in the next half hour and don't stop walking, we'll make it to Ark by dawn."

Amber stuffed the small handbooks into one of her larger pockets and asked for a loaf of bread from the innkeeper, receiving one baked only three hours before for a decent price. She also put that into one of the pouches in her clothing generously given by Jespar. She knew she needed to get armour sooner or later but as it was, she could do without. And perhaps a pack of some sort. But Ark was bound to have better craftsmen and smiths in it than Riverville so it seemed a waste to buy something in town. "Alright," she said with a sigh that marked the beginning of a long march, "lead the way, Jespar."

The well-aged sellsword hopped off his stool and tossed a small pouch of coin behind him with his rather iconic smile on his lips. "Will do, Mydame."

They left the inn within a few seconds with Jespar happily and proudly leading the way down to the bridge, over it and onwards. He stopped at the fork in the road just past the bridge to speak to his companion. "The Myrad tower here in Riverville is out of service for now so we need to walk, as I'm sure you know. Wish you could have been on one sooner as opposed to later, but oh well, across the mountains we will go."

Amber had to stop several times to simply admire the world around her; it was all so beautiful, even in the dark of night. The moon was high and bright enough to beam down onto the world and illuminate it in a thin layer of light. It was astounding to see such a magnificent world around her; the walls and buildings of Ostian had never been as welcoming nor fantastic as what she saw then and earlier in the day and the day previous.

Their walk slowly took them upwards, it was a rather gradual affair. They passed over a stream with a roofed bridge within sight of Riverville, up an unstoned road with a cave and several wolves outside of it, passing by a simple yet rather large home on the other side of a bridge and always higher. As they walked, Amber started to feel the effects of lack of water and food so they had braked for around twenty minutes in the night so she could do some much needed recharging. She had never walked so much in one day before! Not even in her childhood. She cursed those particular thoughts of her earlier life out of her mind and did her best to eat some bread in silence. Jespar was quite eager to tell a particular tale of when he was in Nehrim, talking about a wild chase for a wild mage whose sanity had begun to lack heavily. It was a long adventure but Jespar managed to keep the details short yet not lack in detail.

"...so I managed to find the mage, stark naked in a field running with cows! When I approached him, you know what he said to me?"

Amber shook her head. "No, I don't think I do."

Jespar smiled and chuckled at the apparent idiocy of the whole situation. "Well, he said 'Gods! The Sky Whale has found me!' and ran off again, or at least he tried to. He was an odd fellow, especially once he had gone insane. I nearly had to haul him around in a pack the entire way back!"

That made Amber chuckle, the thought of Jespar struggling to contain a very insane and unpredictable mage within a pack and haul him all around without trying to get frozen solid or burned to a crisp. She put away her partially-eaten bread and gave Jespar back one of his waterskins and stood up from the fallen log the both of them had been sitting on. "I think it's time we get moving, despite your story being very interesting."

Jespar agreed with both statements and leapt from the log before starting to pace off ahead, not too quickly though. Amber found it rather easy to keep up, despite her short stature, much to her appreciation. They pressed on through the forest and Amber was astounded as she watched the trees shift from broad leaves to thin pine needles and towering conifers from wide deciduous trees. She shivered a little when the first hints of snow started to land on her and Jespar was chivalrous enough to offer her a spare coat of his, saying his own suit of clothes and armour were more than enough to keep him warm. She accepted it gratefully when she had no reason to deny the offer and spent much of the journey in comfort.

They came upon bandits soon enough, held up in an old ruined house with only half a roof and a third of it's walls. A tree had fallen on it and no one had bothered to fix it. The bandits had very nearly attacked them until they saw the fire swirling in Amber's hands before deciding to retreat further inside the destroyed house that was at one point a home to someone most likely more honourable than the current occupants. The trail was beginning to cover in snow and a blanket of clouds started to sweep across the starlit sky, frost appeared on trees and low-lying shrubs and grasses, and snow painted the trees and rock walls in a layer of powdery white chill. It was three or four hours later when they finally reached the very top of the slope they had been climbing and were rewarded with an open view of the world below. Ark wasn't visible in the distance but it was rather miraculous nonetheless. The rock walls gave way to a cliff that plummeted too far for Amber's liking but she could see the tops of hundreds of trees nearly stretching out to the silver streaked sea beyond, shimmering in the moonlight.

Jespar sighed deeply at the sight before them. "It's times like this that really make life worth living."

"I agree," Amber said, a little breathless. Enderal just seemed more and more beautiful with every passing hour. What a paradise. A place she could call home. A place she could finally call herself that wonderful word, 'free'.

"This was an old trading post, back when trade was actually important to Enderal. The Order made sure to ban as much imports and exports as they could when they officially took power while letting the Lightborn 'retire' for a while. Once the trade was nearly all gone, trade posts like these dried up and were left abandoned." Jespar said as he leaned against an old wooden watchtower. "You can explore it if you want, I'll wait here for you."

She did as was suggested and made her way inside the trading post. Once she opened the door, she very nearly slammed it shut once more. She closed it rather lightly instead. Inside were three large spiders. Not as large as the ones that she had encountered on her way to Riverville, but still large by any term. She let flames dance and twirl across her fingers, drew her sword and pushed the door open again and immediately cooked one of the huge fanged, eight legged killers. Another one of them, fangs dripping venom, spat poison in her direction yet hit the other spider once more, causing the flames to catch alight even further and made the spider hiss louder than it had been previous. Amber stabbed her sword into the spider that got close enough and was not on fire and made sure that the thing's legs started to curl up before she pulled the blade out.

The final one was a rather stubborn spider, a bit larger than the others and seemingly older with more experience in living. It was quicker too, dashing from one side of the room to another very quickly. When she found the mental strength, she let loose a gout of flames that swam around the spider and caught alight on the monster's many hairs and dripping poison, adding another hissing monster in the room. They had both died soon enough though and proved no further problem to her aside from the chokingly thick, acrid odor of burnt giant spider. Amber found another book on rhetoric, designed for individuals who had already knew the basics taught in the book Jespar had probably gotten her and an old potion that had a label on it; 'Restores Health' in fine print after she had searched the large open room.

She shoved both items into her ever-increasingly full pouches and made her way out of the trading post, swiftly. When she was outside, she sucked in a deep breath of clean, crisp and cold air and was relieved to see Jespar where she had left him, still looking out to the tree tops and the ocean beyond, leaning against the watchtower. He was true to his word, at least, and Amber respected him for that. He began to speak when she got close enough. "Find anything interesting in there?"

"If you call giant spiders, a book and a health potion interesting, then yes." Amber said a little wearily. Magic seemed to drain her of mental energy. She'd have to be careful in using it too much, the last thing she would need would be to fall asleep on the battlefield.

"I do. Let's press on, it's all downwards from here so it should be easier to reach Ark by now. The hard part's over," said Jespar, pushing himself from the watchtower and starting off once more.

They moved on from the outpost and continued on their way now on a steady ways down. Along the way, they found a dead citizen of Enderal accompanied by a wagon that had been cast to the side of the road and looked very much worse for wear, wheels missing and the body of it tipped over in the snow. The citizen was long past the point of no return, part of his body frozen and covered in snow that drifted down from the heavens. In his hands was a book of some sort, and Amber noticed an arrow was sticking out of his knee. She gave Jespar an uneasy look and did her best to pry the book from his fingers, avoiding his open and dead gaze. She opened up the book and read it when she found the courage. There was only one sentence in the entire thing and it was 'I used to be an adventurer like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee.' and she laughed despite herself, showing Jespar the rather funny, if morbid, joke before continuing onwards.

They passed by a bridge soon enough, once they made it through a narrow walkway trapped between twin rock walls with trees growing out from the sides to wrap around the top like an elongated archway where the dead citizen had been at the very end. The bridge itself was rather poorly placed by a waterfall and the middle of it was covered in large sheets of ice that dripped down in huge spikes to the rocky riverbed below. Amber walked across it first, nearly losing her footing as she took one step on what she thought was wood but was in fact a very thin layer of ice that had clung to the bridge in a very dangerous way. Jespar had avoided the spot when he made his crossing and she couldn't help but feel like she was given the short end of the stick, but soon forgot the incident.

Only five minutes down the road from there was a man sitting on a heavily warped tree drinking from a bottle, his nose red from both alcohol and the cold, Amber assumed. The man looked at them and raised his hand quickly, sending some of his drink flying up and dousing some of his clothes. The snow was getting thicker and rougher as they went and right there was particularly bad. "Oi," he said in a thickly accented voice, "can you go and tell my lazy, good-for-nothing brother that it's his turn to watch?"

The fact that he had requested an action from her was enough to get her to stop. Jespar did so too and rushed back when he noticed Amber had paused in her walking a ten paces behind him. "Uhm, why can't you do it?" She asked the obviously drunken and cold man.

"Because! I'm _watching,_ 'cuz I'm on watch!" He was so drunk he was very nearly shouting. "Therefore, I can't go to the camp, you see?"

Amber frowned. "I'm not willing to be a messenger girl when I have more important matters to deal with."

The man glared at her and waves his hand at her. "Fine then, be off with you! You're no better than my greedy fuck of a brother!"

Amber felt anger rise in her and Jespar quickly interjected to stop any violence that would probably occur if it went on any further. "We're sorry we are not able to help, Sir, but we _do_ have important matters to deal with. There's no need for hostility, however." He said in his most pacifying tone.

Amber felt the anger dissipate as she kicked some of the snow at her feet. The man breathed in deep and sighed. "Fine," he said, "I guess I'll have to deal with this problem myself."

"That would be best," Jespar said as a final parting and continued on his way, making sure Amber was following. She was, doing her best to distract herself from the rude, yet excusably drunk, man with the many shapes and density of the leafless trees. Most had bark as bright as the snow itself and some were gnarled and thick rooted in a way that told her they had been there for a long time. Behind the trees was another mountain and another ocean of tall canopied trees with rich green leaves that would put even the richest dyes to shame and she wondered what was below the leaves, happening on the forest floor.

As they continued, they came across a pond with an old boat sunk against the shoreline of it. In the distance, there was a waterfall that Amber assumed allowed the pond to fill up. There was a bridge that winded down and under itself and behind the mountain to her right down the road some ways. They crossed over the rail-less bridge and Amber was only too relieved to be back on solid footing once more. The wind picked up and it began to sting her back with an icy chill that made even Jespar comment on it. "Seems nature wants to give us a hand in the right direction," he said with a light smile and Amber could only smile and shake her head to the heavens at Jespar. It was nice that he could make the best out of a not so good situation, though, she had to admit.

As they continued down, they came across two towers built over a river with a single narrow bridge built between the two with only one pillar in the middle of it stabbed into a ridge that resembled an arrowhead, leading two rivers into one. Both Jespar and Amber didn't like the feel of the place and it made sense why, both towers had roughly ten bandits spread across the both of them. It took what seemed an eternity but was closer to ten minutes to clear out all the bandits and for Amber to heal some of the minor cuts she had gathered in combat. Her magic did a rather wonderful job healing them up so that they didn't even have scars. She did, of course, retch and churn up her latest meal after staring at the bodies for too long and spending just a little too long in the deep stench of blood that tainted the stone and dirt. They stood on the bridge for a while after they had raided the bandit's supplies for anything they needed, one of those was a fur pack she could haul around and hold more items she would indefinitely sell.

One of the two rivers that turned into one was from the pond the party of two had come across and the other was a distant source that could not be seen. It wove its way through a massive ring in the rock, the top of which had many trees growing on it, and mixed into a stream that lead into a forest further down the mountain they had climbed.

The path down was steep yet never particularly dangerous. It wove down like stitches to a forest road that ran alongside the river. There was a bridge made of nothing more than trees carved into spikes on each side and tied together over flowing water. Amber rushed her way across the rather unsafe bridge, not wishing to fall into the water current below her and be swept away. Jespar followed after her and then began to lead the way again on the other side of the river. At a three way crossroad, they came across what looked to be a ruined temple of some sort. It had an air of something belonging to the divines yet it was long since decayed and many plants grew within it and on it's grey-green stone bricks. There was another bridge across to the other side of the river once again yet it was more properly built with actual barriers and firm footing like a normal bridge should have.

They passed by an old fort to their right and pond to their left at one particular part of the road as well as fallen logs that someone had had no will to haul off to wherever they were supposed to go. They had already started to harbour the growth of moss. Eventually, the trees and low lying life that was always underfoot in such forests gave way to low hills covered in thick green grass and flowers in bundles, stone barricades rising and falling alongside the edges of the road until they stopped close some distance ahead. It was dawn by then, with a scent of summer in the air and a washed blue sky above with a pink aura that indicated the sunrise. In the distance, Amber could see a watchtower accompanied by a large stone that jutted out from underneath the turret and two trees growing outwards as if attempting to slash non-existent enemies. A stables had come before it with more than a dozen goats nearby, grazing the grass and even before that, a three way crossroad that led along a mountain range that seemed to give way a little before the shore.

If she focused more, Amber could see… something big past the tower and over a bridge. She stopped and squinted to get a better sight of it. She could definitely see high walls that rose defiant along the river that lead out to an estuary and harbour in the distance, with towers and the tops of buildings and at the very top of the mountain, a massive structure, like a palace of some kind, built on a natural shelf that seemed to stretch over half the city.

Jespar stopped beside her, grinned and clapped her on the shoulder. "Now, that right there, that's Ark. The capital of Enderal, and that massive building right up at the very top there," he pointed to where Amber had been looking even before he spoke, "that's the Sun Temple, where the Order is and where I can find my employer."

"Ark is very… impressive," she said, yet many more words came to thought. _Amazing, astounding, incredible, fantastic, massive,_ and _spectacular_ were just a few that came to mind. "It blows my imagination out of the water quite well, I'll say."

Jespar chuckled. "I bet. It usually does. It sure did for me when I first saw it in the distance. Anyways, come on, let's go inside."

As they went across the bridge that lead to Ark's front gate, Amber couldn't help but feel joy at finally making it. She'd need to keep in touch with Jespar in the future, maybe hire him if she had some troubles she'd need solved. She thought that was a rather good idea.


	8. Ark

The party of two passed by several city guards all on duty, rubbing their eyes and yawning. Jespar had shown no signs of fatigue and oddly enough, neither did she. It was odd that she didn't feel tired at much but she supposed that was more of a blessing. Less nightmares to suffer through. The front gate of Ark was quite impressive, going up several meters, tall and proud and imposing to all who looked upon it. A more awake guard was standing by the door, surrounded by stables, and looked at them with an alert gaze. "Greetings," he said in a rich tone of voice, quite smooth with a nice amount of depth, "wishing to enter Ark?"

Amber nodded. "Yes, if you could let us in, that would be fantastic."

He looked her up and down along with Jespar and gave a sharp call out of "Open the gates!" before saying to the two companions in a lower tone, "give it a minute or so, it won't be long before you can go on inside."

In truth, it was closer to fifteen seconds as the gate only needed to be open enough for Jespar and Amber to slide through and that wasn't much of a challenge since both were rather thin and not carrying too much. Once the gate shut behind them, Amber looked around her first sight of Ark, making sure it soaked in. There were only a handful of people walking around the streets and one yawning merchant with a cart close to the gate. All the streets were cobble but grass was growing between them in the parts less walked on. There was a small courtyard of sorts rather devoid of anything aside from three buildings with identical doors, and the merchant. Two arches led further into the city in two different directions, one that led upwards and one that went south.

Jespar turned to her, laid an arm around her shoulder and swept his hand from right to left within her vision. "This is Ark, my fair lady! I hope it is what you expected. If you had expected more people, wait until midday and if you had thought it would be more lavish, go the road upwards. That leads into the Noble Quarter."

"Then where are we now?" she asked.

"The Foreign Quarter. There's seven quarters in total, them being Foreign, Marketplace, Noble, South, Temple, Barracks, and Undercity in no particular order. The Temple is really just the Sun Temple and is usually uncared about by much of Ark since no one but only those invited are allowed to even pass through and look inside."

"And what's the Undercity?" Whatever it was, to Amber, it didn't sound all that good.

Jespar scratched at the back of his neck. "Well, it's, um, it's the place where the poor and downtrodden are herded into. The homeless are corralled into the Undercity so they're kept off the streets of Ark proper and have to make a home underneath a hill. Kind of like the Pyreans but not as prosperous. I'd recommend visiting there as little as possible; people there aren't ever happy to see someone from the surface and things tend to go missing from you when you visit."

Oh. Yeah, not a very good place to visit. "Okay, got it. I suppose this is where our adventuring ends?" Amber said with a frown that was all too evident to be a mockery of the real thing.

Jespar chuckled in a way that Amber never got tired of and shook his head a little. "No, there's one thing left that we need to do. Meet me at the well in the marketplace when you're ready and we'll get my employers to investigate your aura. I've been thinking about it and I think they'll want to see it. Anyone who has magical talents is obligated to see the Order anyways and the story you had told sounds like something the Order would like to know about too. You have today and tomorrow to meet me at the well before I head off to places unknown, so don't wait too long. Money needs to be made, you know."

Amber nodded. "Trust me, I know. I'll see you later today Jespar, I promise."

He grinned and walked happily off into the empty street that went straight in front of them, leading into the marketplace, leaving her alone with her thoughts and what she should do next. Sell everything she could seemed the most obvious thing to do as she had picked up a good amount of supplies during her little adventure with Jespar over the mountain all the way to Ark. Maybe she could check out the inn too, while she was at it.

She had begun her journey of exploring some of Ark yet less than twenty seconds later, she was interrupted. "Erm, excuse me, miss." He seemed a little timid which was odd for a merchant, yet he was rather good looking and his voice was decently pleasant, so he had two things going for him at least.

"Yes?" Amber said as she approached the merchant and the cart, undoubtedly his, by his side. "What do you want?"

He blinked twice in surprise and hesitated for a slight moment but recovered quickly enough. "Your money, primarily, Mydame. But, to see the quality of what I sell, here, take one of these books. Which would you like?"

There was one for basic smithing, one-handed combat that seemed more advanced than the one she had on her, one for novice light magic and one for novice enchanting and another for journeyman alchemy and brewing. She grabbed the one that seemed most useful to her, the one regarding one-handed combat. She was going to adventure more, she knew, and knowing more than letting instinct dictate what she did was vital. It had worked so far, but she would rather not trust in the fickle arms of luck.

"Ah, combat; a very good choice Mydame." He said as he put the other books away. "You may have that one for free, my courtesy. But if you'd like more, I may have a task for you to do. It's rather small and shouldn't take more time than a few hours."

She had a few hours, so she took the bait. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"

His smile was one of the better things about him and his clothes would be too if they were shaken of dust, yet it clung to the silks and furs of his garb. He'd need to beat the dirt out of the suit soon if he ever wanted nobles to even glance at him. "Well, I'll explain some stuff about myself and my family first and then explain what I need you to do as they are bound together.

"So, I grew up in a small village off on the other side of the coast as Ark. Foamville, it was called. It's not far away if I remember correctly. It was burned down by bandits many years ago and while I strove to fight out of our misfortune, my sister instead decided to sit in the dust and do that horrid drogae, Glimmercapdust."

"Glimmercapdust?" Amber asked the merchant. "I'm a foreigner, if my accent didn't get that across."

The merchant smiled a little. "I had assumed as much because of your accent and your, em, skin... Regardless, Glimmercapdust is a drogae like peaceweed, tobacco or alcohol but it is illegal here in Enderal because of how badly it can affect people. My sister, well, she had one taste and has never given it up despite me trying to convince her to do so. Anyways, I have supported her with her life in the Undercity, paid for her home so she's not sleeping on the streets at the very least. Well, I've recently found out that she has been spending the money on more Glimmercapdust! So I have, justly, removed my payments as I will not help fund her addiction.

"She was not happy about that, to put it lightly, and has taken the key to the vault that all our profits are in which would destroy both her and I. What I need you to do is talk to my sister and convince her to give back the key at the very least. You can find her somewhere in the inn. The False Dog, I believe it's called. Sila's her name, by the way."

Amber thought about it for a few moments before deciding that it _did_ sound pretty easy. It would also get her to see more of the city of Ark so that was a plus. "Fine, I'll do it. What do I get when I get your key back?"

"My eternal gratitude, a purse of a hundred pennies and two more books from my collection. They're well worth it, trust me!" The merchant was grinning broadly.

Amber smiled a little at the merchant, nodded, mumbled a promise that she'd be back soon and walked off deeper into the Foreign Quarter and Ark as a whole. It was still pretty empty but it was starting to fill up with the sounds of voices and people were beginning to fill the streets. She could particularly hear people from the marketplace most of all, merchants and shopkeepers already beginning to ply their trade to those who walked the streets and those who could hear. She passed by the inn called the 'Dancing Nomad' and felt that it was a fine place to be. More than the inn at Riverville at the very least.

She passed by several guards on duty and a few chest-high walls with iron bars jutting up from them like tiny spires with crossbars fused into them all across, sometimes in patterns like diamonds and circles. She eventually came to the door that led her into the marketplace, if the sign above saying 'Market District' was any indicator and slipped through the doors into the most thrifty part of the city. She saw dozens of stalls set up in the part of the marketplace she had walked into. A large well stood in the very centre and all the stalls kept their distance from the well. Jespar was sitting at it, staring up into the sky and the clouds that lost colour with every minute. He was too out of reality to notice she was within a stone's throw.

She walked by some of the stalls and eventually settled for one with a man with a trimmed beard with oak hair and sun-kissed skin, a little richer than her own. He was wearing a tunic of vibrant green with bright red trimmings and a white undershirt that had two golden buttons on each cuff. "Hello there," he said with a fine accent that said he was obviously not from Enderal. Kilé most likely, by the looks of him. "Care to purchase anything that I have?"

There were wines and clothes and jewels and gold-handled daggers and curved swords all of fine make at his stall and even a few potions. "Actually, I was wondering if I could sell a few things."

He smiled brightly. "Of course, my friend, show me what you have!"

She pulled out the potions she had gathered yet not needed and a few of the jewels she had gathered from the bandits during the trip to Ark. "I have some garnets and potions, if you're willing to buy them."

"Oh believe me, I am, it's just the price that we need to negotiate on." He said with a bright grin on his face. She liked the man. Not in a romantic way, but just that he was someone she could turn to if she had troubles. Maybe she was biased, but he seemed like the kind who would help her, depending on how much coin she dropped into his hands. That didn't mean she disliked him, though.

"Hm, for the garnets, I say sixty pennies each."

"Thirty, I say."

"Fifty-five."

"Thirty-five."

"Fifty."

"Forty."

"Forty-seven."

The merchant sighed with good humour and raised his hands. "Very good, forty-seven it shall be."

"Very good?" She had to ask.

"You did good bartering. Not many are willing to budge so little on what they have, you're different though. A Kiléan like myself, even if you do not carry the accent."

"Is it that obvious that my mother was from the Belt?" She asked, looking down at her hands and their fair yet tanned hue.

The Kiléan nodded. "It is, but don't worry, your secret is safe with me." He said with a wink. He handed over two pouches of pennies after counting them out with less haste than usual so his customer could keep up and swept the garnets off the counter and bit one of them, like one would a coin. They traded for several more minutes and by the time they were done, Amber was a little lighter but more bulging with gold and the merchant was carrying several new items he could sell off. Before Amber left though, the merchant made sure to seize an opportunity. "Would you be interested in buying this very rare potion I have? It is said to bless you with enhanced reflexes and eyesight and increase your natural abilities on the battlefield. Only one hundred and ten pennies."

She grabbed the bottle and shook it softly from side to side, feeling it's weight and set it down. A grin rose on her face. "And what will happen after that? Will I sprout wings and have the ability to fly? I'd rather not buy myself a false potion."

The merchant looked anything but put off and clapped his hands together a few times. "Very well done, fair lady." His grin was rather huge by then. "You're smart. I like that. It will serve you well in your life, that is without question. Here," he laid a single coin on the table and slid it over to her, "this is your gift-coin."

"My what?" She asked. She had never heard of that term before, yet she grabbed the coin anyways.

"A gift-coin. Tradition in Kilé. If a merchant tries to cheat you and you catch on, they are obligated to give you a coin of theirs for failing to convince you. It keeps you on your toes when in the markets on the Belt and I have taken that tradition with me. I hope you don't mind."

She bit the coin and, satisfied, put it into her purse. "Not at all. How many people have you had to give a gift-coin to?"

The Kiléan smiled. "Not many, as a matter of fact. You're the first here in Enderal, that much I know. There've been people in Kilé that I have fooled too, but that's a smaller number than what I would suspect I'd get here." He paused for a moment and asked a question. "You are an outlander, yes?"

She hesitated but nodded slowly soon afterwards. "I am, why do you ask?"

"I would like to give you some advice, if you're willing to hear it." Amber made a 'go ahead' hand gesture and he continued. "People around here aren't too welcoming of foreigners. Never let it get to you, they were just raised with false beliefs that they are superior. It can bring anyone down eventually, but never let it do so. Also, you seem to have a good collection of coins with you. I suggest taking it to the bank so it can be safe and secure."

That sounded better than letting it jingle with her every step, drawing the attention of every eager cutpurse in the Quarter. And she took the merchant's first words of advice to heart. "Sounds good. Where is the bank?"

He pointed to a building that rose one and a half stories with a sign that had a golden scale painted onto it. Both sides of it were empty and it rested at an equilibrium. "There. Walk Blessed, as they say here!"

"Yes, walk blessed!" Amber said in reply as she started making her way to the bank. The merchant was opportunistic and crafty, but she still couldn't help but like the man. She'd have to visit in the future and see if there would be anything she'd be willing to buy.

With hastened steps she made her way to the bank. She had spent enough time speaking with the merchant and not doing the job she had picked up as it was. The sun was higher in the sky and now the back-noise of voices and feet shuffling was a constant factor within Ark. She made her way into the bank and closed the door, remarking at how it could be so silent in the room. A few candles and a chandelier of simple wrought iron hung from the ceiling, ablaze like the candles in the tower-esque braziers, gave the room light. There was a wall of counter and iron bars immediately to her left and there were two guards standing and doing a whole lot of nothing.

She walked forwards until she saw someone at the counter. His skin was a darker than his golden hair, matched by the gold colouring in his noble-looking clothing. White fur lined the cuffs and neck of the suit where bright green was the largest colour. The gold was just a trimming. He had a fine combed golden goatee and his hair was curved over his head in a wave, it too having been combed. To top it all off, he had a monocle covering one of his eyes with a rich gold ring around the glass. "Hello, Mydame," his voice carried an accent that sounded more noble than foreign, "how may I help you today?"

"Uhm, yes, I would like to deposit the money I'm carrying with me." said Amber as she rummaged around and found what she was looking for.

The noble clasped his hands together and had a bright smile on his face, but it looked genuine enough. She knew it probably wasn't. "Excellent! You've made the right choice. Do you have at least one hundred and fifty pennies to deposit?"

She knew she did. "Yes, I believe I have something closer to three hundred and fifty, actually."

"Fantastic! I will grab you a slip of paper, along with a quill and ink to write with. You _can_ write and read, I hope?"

"Mhm, I can, thankfully." Amber replied. That was probably one of the best things that had come from Sirius' friendship. Aside from him being a friend. She still had to do that burial for him. Maybe she'd go along the coastline near Riverville and see if he washed up…

The banker shook her from her thoughts as he placed down the parchment and quill and ink. "Here you are, Mydame. If you would hand over your money, I will begin counting it immediately. The guards will make sure I won't try anything; not that I would to begin with."

"What do I need to write down?" Amber asked as she handed over her money, casting a glance at one of the guards who smiled and nodded.

"Your name, the alphabet and a simple sentence. The name is so we know who wrote it, the alphabet and simple sentence are for verification that the writer is you. Some people pay with signatures and numbers on papers that can be handed into the bank and exchanged instead of currency face to face, so the spelling is so that you cannot be impersonated nearly as easily, if at all." He counted the coins quickly as Amber wrote down what she needed, writing down her name, first and last, and her own style of writing she had adopted. It was still fine and legible entirely, but it was faster and not as elegant as other people's writing. "Alright, three hundred and seventy-seven coins is what you have given to me. Do you want me to add it into the vault to collect interest right now?"

"Interest? What's that?" Amber asked, confused by the word and what it implied.

"Interest is… well, our way of saying thanks. When you have money put into the bank, depending on how much is put in, we give you extra money to your account every passing week."

"Wouldn't that drain the money from the bank though?"

"No, it doesn't. We are not a company, necessarily, as we are directly funded by the Order. But of course, we also need to do our own expeditions every now and then to make sure we have more money so that we can keep filling your coffers."

Amber thought about it for a few moments. "So… I give you my money, and because of that, you give me money in return so that you keep me using the bank. How do you pay for the 'expeditions' as you call them?"

The banker took in a deep breath and let out a small sigh. "Well, they're really just trading deals. Very safe trading deals. We pay them money used from the vaults, make more profit, put the money back and add in more. If you need to withdraw money and use it immediately, we put the money from someone else's account into the person who wants to withdraw the money and fill up the account we took from."

"Okay, so I give you my money, you spend it to make more money and give me extra money in return because of that?"

"Yes, exactly." The banker sounded rather happy that Amber had understood it. It seemed to her that he had dealt with people a lot simpler and slower than she was. "You will collect five pennies per day, or thirty-five coins by the end of the week. Have a pleasant day, Mydame, and I look forward to seeing you again."

She smiled and left after deciding against saying anything. She had spent now more than enough time trying to even make it to the Undercity, yet there was one last thing that she wanted to know. She walked up to the nearest guard who looked at her with contempt on his face. He was older and gruffer, his deep brown hair starting to silver. "Yes, what do you need?"

"Well, I'm new here and was looking for work. Odd jobs and such. Heard any rumours that could point me in the right direction?" She said as kindly as she could.

"Work, eh?" He said as he scratched the stubble on his chin, thinking. "Well, I know the Golden Sickle is almost always looking for people to work for them, so you could check out their headquarters here in the marketplace. They're in the other row past the two buildings there," he pointed at two buildings that bottlenecked a street and on the other side of the two wooden structures, she could see another road with a flaming forge and a man labouring over it, "closest to the gate to the South Quarter. I've also heard of some woman from the gallery asking around for people to visit it. She sounds pretty desperate so you might also want to try that."

Amber smiled and handed him a coin she had kept on her. She had thirty in total, as a matter of fact, content with the rest of them being safe and well kept. "Here, and thank you for the help!"

The man's hand moved slower than she had expected, but it grabbed the coin all the same. He smiled at her. "It was a pleasure, my lady, Malphas guide you."

"Walk blessed."

Her journey took her through the ever-compacting streets of Ark as she made her way into the South Quarter. It was definitely the best looking of the Quarters she had seen so far with many tall trees, plenty vibrant summer grasses growing along the sides of the roads with many bushes and a small valley with a waterfall and a wooden walkway and platform set up at the top. She could see something at the top as well, it was alive and moving but it was huge and had bright white… fur? Wings? She didn't know and resolved she could find out later.

The door to the Undercity was impressive and intimidating. They were huge, twenty men across at least and four men tall. They were entirely of wood and could be easily burned if needed, but they were bound with iron along the rims and middle. Some of the guards helped push open the door, refusing to speak to her, and once she was inside, one of them said simply, "Hit the door five times and we'll open it back up. Understood?"

She nodded to the woman. "Yes, I do." She didn't exactly understand why the rule was in place, but she knew that she would follow it.

When her eyes adjusted to the extreme dimness of the Undercity, she could fully grasp the concept of the 'poor and downtrodden' as Jespar had called them. The place reeked of sweat and sewage and other odors that mixed together that very nearly made her gag. Smoke lay low in the huge hollow dome that the Undercity had been constructed in. Many buildings were built up out of old and rotting wood with chimneys spewing smoke and light shining from within windows, like as the name implied, another city.

Everyone she walked by either stunk beyond recognition of anything human, too busy to care about her, or laying on the cold stone ground clutching their limbs for warmth. The brightest lights the Undercity knew was that of hearths burning. Even in Ostian it was better than this, at least she could breath and see the sky. This was just painful to even look at. Sirius probably would have wept if he had seen the Undercity like she was then. Enderal wasn't such a paradise after all…

The further down she went, the more boggy the air got. It threatened to choke her and she nearly thought about shoving cloth up her nostrils to halt some of the putrid smells that assaulted her worse than any xenophobic noble could. She found the inn she was supposed to quickly enough. It wasn't far from the surface which was a relief. As bad as she felt for everyone she passed, whimpering and asking for coins, she knew she couldn't help them much. She knew what would happen if she handed beggars coins. More would come and soon she would be a walking charity, villainized when she ran out of coin to give. She had seen it, and even been a part of it, in Ostian. The last thing she needed was that.

When she passed through the doors of the inn, she let out a shuddering sigh of relief as the only smells she could get were woodsmoke and cheap alcohol. It was better than what she had the displeasure of being assailed by outside. She walked down a set of steps and into the full extent of the inn. Several tables were laid out with a wall making a smaller room, keeping the hearth away from much of the outside border of the inn. Stone floors were set in the room with the hearth, pockmarked with erosion and stains of unknown substances. The wood of the entire building was cheap, weak yet held together solidly enough. It seemed that the entire place could set alight far too quickly and eagerly for Amber, though, as when she touched the wood of the walls to peak her head around to see the inn itself and not just the steps, it was brittle and seemed like it could be chipped away if someone had sharp enough nails on their hands.

The entire place seemed filled with shady or poor people, probably because it entirely was. There were people in rags, people in leather, people with hoods to hide their identity and people who looked bad enough that Amber wished they had hoods too. She walked up to one of the more sane, yet more shady people, and poked them in the leather shoulderpad. The man turned around and looked at her with half his vision gone and a bright pale scar running down his face, chopping his eyebrow in half and part of his full and ragged beard. "What the fuck do you want, hm?"

"I… I was just wondering if you know anyone by the name of 'Sila' who might frequent here?" Amber asked, more than a little intimidated by the man who stood several inches taller than she did. She noticed the dagger at his hip and his hand dangerously close to it. She made sure she was prepared to cast a spell if she had to.

The man held out his hand. She knew what it meant. She grumbled and pulled out a health potion, one of the finer ones she had on her. "Would this cover it?"

He eyed the bottle and hefted it for a few moments, pulling off the cork and sniffing it before putting the cork back on. "Yes, that will do. Sila can be found over there. Look for the one who is shaking all the drink out of her cup, stained white tunic and baggy pants, hair pulled up at the top of her head. Can't miss her." He shoved his way past and walked out of the inn. She wasn't sure, but she could have sworn she didn't see the dagger in its sheath anymore.

But that was of no concern to her. What was, however, was finding Sila and with the description she was provided with, it couldn't be that hard, could it? Turns out, it wasn't. The woman in question was only some twenty paces away, around the corner and closer to the hearth, gazing at it through a cut out section of the wall. As the man had described, her hand was shaking uncontrollably and her hair looked very unwashed, as well as her clothes. Yet that was how everyone in the Undercity looked. Amber tapped the woman on the shoulder and she turned to look at her, greasy hair shining brightly in the hearth and torchlight.

Amber cleared her throat of built up poison from the air and spoke. "Are you Sila?"

The edge of the woman's mouth twitched at the question. "Who wants to know?"

"Me, mainly. I'm here on behalf of your brother, the merchant at the Foreign Quarter."

The woman, clearly Sila, made a face of disgust. "Ugh, him. Let me guess, you want to get his key back? What has he offered you, hm? A few old cabbages and a left boot? I swear, I'll kill him over this…"

"Money and a few books of his. That's not important, what is though, is that you give the key back. Don't bite the hand that feeds you, Sila."

She spat onto the ground, dangerously close to Amber. "Pah! All that greedy fuck cares about is his own wealth. How many times has he seen me in the Undercity? Once! The only time being when he demanded his damned key back! So what story did he tell you, hm? About his childhood?"

"You and him grew up in a village called Foamville which was eventually destroyed by bandits. You and him fled to Ark and there, you two went separate ways. You down the path of a drogae addict and him the one of a merchant."

Her hand shook more and spilled some of her drink onto the wooden floors. A rat scurried over and began drinking from the puddle. "Sure, that might have happened, but let me tell you something. When the village was attacked, you want to know what he did? He took dad's strongbox and wealth and left without even thinking about finding me. I had to go all the way to Ark by myself and when I found him, he wasn't even happy to see me!" Amber could see a wetness in her eyes yet her whole body showed angered and hatred.

"Be that as it may, you are still harming yourself as much as him. He pays for your housing. If he loses all his money, what do you think will happen?"

"I'll have to live on the streets…" she said slowly.

"Right. And maybe you won't even get the money to buy more Glimmercapdust and shitty ale." said Amber in her most diplomatic voice. Her accent was still heavily present, however.

"It's not shitty! But, I see your point… Like you said before, 'don't bite the hand that feeds me'." She sighed and her shoulders sagged. Her hand never stopped shaking. "Fine, fine. I see your point. The key's hidden in an old barrel close to the fishery, small descent of stairs, the barrels are on a shelf. You can have it and bring it back to my brother."

"Thank you," Amber said as she snatched Sila's mug of ale and drank a small gulp of it before shoving it back into her hands before she could respond, grimacing. "And yeah, the ale's shitty. Even for my tastes."

With that, she left the inn and made her way out along the rat-infested streets to find the location Sila had described. The key was exactly where she had claimed it was and Amber took the key, walked past the sick and poor and unfortunate, ignoring her mind screaming to help them, and forced herself along the roads up to the rest of Ark and back to the merchant, and more importantly, fresh air. She felt guilty doing so but maybe someday she would be able to help them out. As it was, she was just starting out and she was her number one priority.

As she walked by, she saw the Kiléan merchant once more and Jespar was gone from the well, having moved on to do something else. Probably to the inn in the Foreign Quarter for some drink and fun, whatever the latter was. At least the ale wouldn't be horridly bad there. She also heard the loud calling of some large beast from the top of the wooden platform back in the South Quarter, which she assumed to be the Myrad. She made it back to the Foreign Quarter, key in her gloved hand, and noticed that the merchant wasn't at his stall. _Maybe he went to go and fulfil his basic human needs?_ Always a possibility.

But as she got closer, she realized that it was not the case. There was blood stained on the cobbles and walkway up to the door behind the cart, which also had a fine spray of now-partially dried blood and knew who was behind it. Sila. It only made sense. And where was it that seemed the most important to Sila? Foamville, both her and her brother's childhood home. Abandoned now, so it made sense.

So as she put the key away safely in her pouch and opened the gates, she went to the only spot that seemed interesting to her at the time: Foamville.


	9. Foamville

Once she was out of the main gates, she looked around and marveled yet again at the world around her. She had seen enough streets and people that Ark itself wasn't incredibly interesting, aside from the Sun Temple sitting at it's peak, and nature was much more intriguing. Granted, she had lived around it for her first decade and a little over, but she chose to discount that. Nehrim, while in firm competition, lost in terms of beauty to Enderal near every time.

She walked down the cobble roads and onwards, always onwards. _Onwards and upwards, always,_ as Sirius used to say. A guard stood on the bridge she was making her way across and she stopped and interrupted him out of his boredom-inspired reverie. "Excuse me, Mysir?"

He blinked a few times and looked at her, a hooked nose and narrow jawline being his most prominent features. "Can I help you?"

"Uhm, yes, where is the way to Foamville?" She asked. It caused the same reaction that she had expected within the guard; slightly widened eyes in surprise, a thoughtful rub of the chin and a gaze off into the sky a little above her head.

"Foamville, eh? I don't know what you want to do in a ghost town but to each their own, I suppose. It's down the coastline, across the river from the harbour. If you go this way, you'll go through a cemetery that I heard was filled with Lost Ones."

"Lost Ones?" Amber asked, before clarifying for the guard. "I'm not from here, so the term is unknown to me. What are they?"

He snorted and shook his head. "I don't know what they are, in truth. Not many do. They're said to be the risen ancestors of us, bones or old decayed corpses, makes no matter to them. Horrid magic inhabits the bones and makes them move like they had never died. They're dangerous, so do be careful. We've lost more than enough people to them in the past years…"

She thanked him, said the common parting phrase and claimed she wouldn't be dying this day and not many days to come. _For your sake, I pray that you're telling the truth_ , he had said in response. And so she was on her way once again, off to save a merchant from, presumably, his drogae-riddled sister. Amber shuddered as she remembered her own past and how she had an addiction to both alcohol and peaceweed. While neither were particularly bad, she had taken both at the same time, usually, and in great doses. Sirius had saved her and for that, she was forever grateful. Of course, she still enjoyed a good pipe and tankard every now and then…

It wasn't long before she the crossroads she had been to some hours before. A sign pointed to several locations, Riverville, Ark, and Duneville caught her interest. She knew Riverville and Ark, but what exactly was Duneville? Was that out east? She shook her head and continued on, as it was better if she was not distracted from her duties. She went down the river that led to the estuary and harbour and Foamville, sticking to the road. Ark remained a constant, looming presence in her peripheral vision and she couldn't help but still be amazed by the Sun Temple resting at the peak of the short mountain it stood on. Well, short in comparison to other mountains she had seen and climbed in Enderal. It was still a mountain though, so it was not to be underestimated.

 _At least I'm not as slow as my namesake,_ Amber thought with a subtle smile on her lips as she let her thoughts begin to carry off her mind and slow her pace. Here she was, a nobody just a few short days ago, stowing away on a ship with her only friend in as bad a predicament as she was, and now she was walking off, unafraid of danger and reveling in the ideas of being recognized and rewarded for her service. She had never thought like this before she had arrived on Enderal, and while she had wanted to claim it was that she was simply trying to find her way and settle into a rhythm and niche, yet there was _something_ wrong with that statement every time she told herself it. Just something that didn't fit.

Her thoughts her interrupted when she very nearly walked into an iron gate with a stone wall wrapped around it. She could see gravestones on the other side and a building off to her right, set into a mountain. She felt an unnatural chill and drew her sword, fire slipping into her fingertips as she willed them to do so. She pushed the gate open with her hand encased in flame and walked inside slowly. She saw Lost Ones, about five of them. They were truly horrid, as the guard had described. Some of them were decayed past the point of telling their race and some were nothing more than bones cursed with mobility and will. Not enough to think sentiently, perhaps, but will regardless and that was a rather frightening prospect.

One of the monsters let out a wretched cry of battle and shambled its way over to Amber, parts of it and its armour falling off it and into the dirt as it went. It swept its battleaxe down in a strike that would have probably cleaved her in two if she was dumbstruck or immobilized. She dodged the attack and swung her sword back at the creature's head, dismembering it in a rather painless display. The corpse had mercifully decayed beyond the point that it had any sort of liquid left in it, only pure unbridled magic keeping it upright and acknowledging. Perhaps not thinking, but it could still tell friend from foe. She had a feeling anything that wasn't another Lost One was an enemy, though.

An arrow whizzed past her face and she stopped for a moment, paralyzed by fear for half a second before she shook it off and she dashed to one of the pillars the Lost One stood at. It fired another crudely made arrow and it flew off into the undergrowth of a nearby tree and while it was nocking in an arrow that it hoped would hit, she slapped it with her sword, watching it explode into a couple hundred separate bones all over the stones and surrounding grass. _A dog would have a field day in here…_

She managed to down another Lost One, equipped with an old sword and shield that had long since gone past the point of no return, quickly after. It was when a third archer, one with considerably better accuracy, started to send arrows flying her way did she truly feel in danger. One had the luck and timing and speed just right to hit Amber in the left arm, stabbing through it close to the bone. The force of the impact forced a cry of pain from her throat and her body jerked back after contact had been made with the iron head of the arrow. _Oh Gods, how can it hurt that much?_ She pressed on as best she could and determined to at least damage the archer. She willed magic from the fingers of her left hand, swiftly going numb, and tried to do… something to it. The string of the bow caught alight soon enough and snapped when it grew weak enough. The Lost One discarded it and grabbed a sword from a nearby corpse, one of the ones that had been reanimated only an hour before.

She braced herself for when she'd have to fight this monster, arrow still jutting from her arm, eagerly leaking blood down onto the cobbles and grass. Her hand was starting to pale. She pressed on and dispatched the Lost One with somewhat ease, cleaving its head in two. It slumped to the ground with a dry, hollow _thunk_.

She had not tired yet and felt no fatigue trying to wear down on her bones, fortunately, yet her hand had since gone numb from the wound and where the arrowhead had impaled her burned like fire. She sat down in the grass once she was sure that there was no immediate threat around and grabbed the arrow with her right hand. She cried out in pain once more as the subtle shift of the arrow seemed to tear her flesh apart in a huge swath. Yet she still firmly grasped it and felt tears come to her eyes. Her breathing increased in pace rapidly as she started to move her numb hand up and grab the end of the arrow. She sobbed as she started to bend it, biting her bottom lip and tongue until she was sure they were bleeding and trying to snap the arrow so she could pull it out. She fully cried out when she managed to snap the arrow, some of the shafts still stuck in her. She grimaced and then, as painlessly as she could, started to push the arrow from the broken shafts.

The pain was excruciating and she feared she would fall unconscious and bleed out. At least, that's what she thought would happen. She stopped for a few moments and let some of the pain subside before making a quick decision to pull the arrow shaft out as much as possible. It hurt incredibly and she openly screamed as she ripped the arrow out and threw it to the cobbles with a weak yet triumphant wave of her hand. With her right arm, she dove into her pack for any sort of material that she could use as a bandage of some sort. Not finding any, she very nearly ripped off part of her shirt when she remembered the book she had learned in the tower on the first day of her time in Enderal. It was healing magic of some sort, her mind told her, and she listened. She simply willed the spell into existence and felt its effect on her. Her body was wrapped with golden and white light that danced in streams around her and she watched her arm in amazement as it started fusing back together. It stung nearly as bad as removing the arrow, but for just a few seconds, she was completely captivated by the mending wound that she couldn't tear her eyes from it.

She kept the spell going until her mind simply shrugged exhaustedly and offered no more magic. When she looked at her arm, all that was left was a small light scar no bigger than an iris where once a bloody, seeping wound had once been. There was still blood on her arm and it was a little nerveless, yet it would heal up just fine. Amber mentally resolved to get hit as little as possible and when she was in combat, she would have to be completely aware of everything that was going on around her.

Soon enough, she was back on the road and away from the cemetery, bound for Foamville off along the shoreline. When she reached a three-way road, she looked across the bridge on one of the roads and saw Ark and the harbour attached to it. Two ships were docked and Amber wondered if that hellbound captain was there… She had nearly walked off back to the harbour before she forced herself down the other way, the farm set along the road back to the capital city starting to disappear behind trees and tall grass and foliage that reached higher than her waist. She would have time for revenge later, for now, she wanted to at least try to save an innocent man's life. He was obviously in some sort of danger judging by the blood on his cart and where he was standing, so she hastened her steps.

Wolves and less than a handful of highwaymen and brigands tried to stop her and all met a fate not too dissimilar to the Lost Ones she had fought no more than a hour before as she continued on her way. With every step she took, she told herself she'd be getting a good reward for all this. Part of her felt bad for thinking of profit as a part of it, going against the heroes of the stories, but she wasn't a hero either, and she knew she needed the coin. Her greed was born of desperation and was only temporary. At least, she told herself it would be. Just enough coin to buy herself proper armour and weaponry and food and drink each and every day, perhaps a small house of some sort, and then she could start giving to those who needed it. Like who she was.

 _Not anymore_ , she resolved as she walked along the road. When she saw the land lift and rise above the shore, she backtracked until she was walking along on the sand. Waves lapped against the dark and smooth sand and she relaxed from the sound and it only sounded better with the rustling of the trees above. Soon enough she saw Foamville for what it was, as destroyed as it had been claimed to be. The buildings were old and burned, only parts of it being higher than her and most without the majority of their roofs. As she walked closer through the torched buildings partly swallowed by the ocean, the walkways old and rotted, she could hear voices echoing from one of the houses furthest away from Ark.

She walked as quietly as she could, remaining out of sight until she could see what was going on. Sure enough, Sila was there along with her brother locked up in a cage, one of his eyes dark and his mouth and nose dripping blood onto the floor and his clothing.

"Really, brother? A mercenary?" Sila's voice was filled with spite. "You send a fucking mercenary to solve your problems?"

"Sila, please! You're being unreasonable!" The merchant's voice was thicker than usual yet frantic. When Amber looked closer, she could see why. Sila was standing in front of the cage, holding the key and a sword that looked like it was fashioned out of iron. It hardly glinted in the sunlight and was flecked with dark and light spots as if it were fashioned from stone.

"Am I, Milbert? I don't think so. You're so greedy and craven, you can't even fix your own problems but instead get some wench you found on the side of the street." Amber slowly started to draw her sword upon hearing the insult. "What are you paying her, hm? Books? Favours? Friendship?"

"Gold that she was going to get back, sister! Please, I'm on your side. I'm not the enemy."

"Then who is, hm? Who's this 'enemy' you refer to?"

Milbert took in a deep breath and spat out a glob of blood onto one of the bars of the cage. "That damn drogae you are so infatuated with. That's the enemy! You're not yourself, sister. Listen to reason."

Amber walked into the building and fully drew her sword, leaning against one of the wooden walls. Milbert looked incredibly relieved to see her. "I would advise against hurting Milbert further, Sila."

Sila glared at her and clenched the grip of her sword. "Great, you brought the fucking wench, Milbert! This was supposed to be between only you and me."

"I didn't bring her! She just… found us, I suppose." Milbert smiled a little at Amber as he said the words. The expression dropped as soon as he flicked his eyes back to his sister. "Sila, you need to put the sword down. You're making a big mistake."

"Really? Because I sure feel like I'm not. This feels just fine to me and seeing you bleed to death doesn't sound so bad." Sila spoke with sadism in her voice. She truly was under the effects of a drogae, or perhaps she was just highly unstable.

"It might not be in the job description I was given, but you will not be harming Milbert while I am here," Amber said as she gathered flames to dance across her hand. "And if you decide to go through with your idiotic idea, it won't end well for you."

Sila turned her attention to Amber. "Why protect him? What's Milbert done for you?"

"Offer me a job, mainly. I need coin, he's supplying it and so here I am." Amber didn't feel good saying it, but she knew it was the truth. Soon enough, she'd renounce her ways of gathering every and any coin she could. Greed would not hold her morals captive forever.

"Ugh, you mercenaries are all the same. Only in it for the money. Tell you what, you let me kill this swine and I'll give you more money than he could ever offer." Sila said with a tiny, sharp smile on her lips.

Amber thought about it for a few moments before shaking her head. "No, I don't think you can. How can _you_ , the addicted, poverty-stricken harlot ever have more money than a merchant? It's kind of their thing to have a lot of money."

Sila sighed and Amber saw her sword flicker. She braced herself. "Fine," Sila said slowly, "since you can't see a good deal if it slaps you across the face, I suppose I'll just have to kill both of you."

Sila swung her sword where Amber was, yet only met resistance from the half-Kiléan woman's blade. Amber wasted little time and slashed Sila with her own blade. Blood began seeping from Sila's leg and her face contorted in pain. Amber swung her sword again and felt her arm shoot with pain as she struck another blade of metal. _They sure don't talk about this in the stories…_ she thought as she reflexively shot flames at her opponent. The eager tongues of fire all too swiftly engulfed Sila as she screamed and began to run for water. Amber couldn't bear leaving her opponent suffering any further and stabbed her sword deep into Sila's heart and drew the blade out a few seconds later.

Sila slumped to the ground and landed on the sand as a wave washed over her. Amber knelt down and opened up Sila's other hand, grabbing the key and hauling the body back up to where Milbert was still locked up.

"Is she… oh Gods. She is…" he said in a tone that showed more love than Sila had apparently ever seen from her brother. It made Amber feel unwell at how illusioned Sila had been. "Can… can you open the cage, please?"

Amber did and Milbert stepped out as soon as the door could swing open and knelt down by his now-gone sister. Amber pursed her lips in a way that would anyone she was inhibited from speaking and simply walked over to one of the walls and began ripping off chunks of dried wood. Splinters stabbed into her hands yet she did not care, instead simply hauling the wood out to a section of beach that stayed away from the shoreline. When she found the time, she pushed the key she had collected into Milbert's hands. When she had collected a good pile, she knelt down beside Milbert and laid a hand on his shoulder. Tears were falling from his eyes and he clutched her hand like it could bring her back and fix her. When Amber began to pick his sister up, he didn't object and silently followed her back to the pile of wood. Amber laid Sila down gently on the pile and struck fire from her fingertips and sent the wood blazing.

They watched the flames for a while before Amber finally spoke. "If you want me to go, you need only say."

Milbert let out a sigh and nodded. "Please."

Amber walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder for only a few seconds before walking off back to Ark and to finally find out what was wrong with her. She'd talk to Milbert on the morrow.


	10. Firespark

Amber was… a mystery, to say the least. Beautiful, but rather hard to figure out and he was only too eager to do so. She was similar to him in many ways, pragmatic and rather cynical, especially to the Gods, but there was also an inane respect and appreciation for the world and how it worked too. He'd noticed it on their walk to Ark only last night. She seemed constantly enraptured by the nature and structure of the world and simply flowed through it and very few had such a way of viewing the world. It was actually quite refreshing. And she simply did things as they pleased her, whether it was trading with a merchant, going into the bank or heading off down into the South Quarter, she spent her time simply living and flowing along with the world and where it took her. It was rather nice to see, in all actuality. He knew the feeling of being bound by duty and a job all too much and Amber didn't seem to have that. Doing things her way when she wanted.

And now here she was walking down the streets to meet him. He finished off his drink and looked up at the Sun Temple oh so high above the rest of the city. When Amber got close enough, she spoke. "I suppose now we'll be going to see about helping my magical abilities?"

Jespar nodded and rose from his seat on the well. "That we will, fair lady. Fortunately for us, your business and mine are in the same place. The very top of the mountain, the Sun Temple, is our destination. Come on, we've spent enough of the day not hiking up a mountain, might as well start now!"

Amber nearly groaned as she followed Jespar's eager footsteps and passed under an arch and went up a road that began to go upwards. "How long will this take?"

"Depends on how quickly we decide to make it up the mountain. We'll have to make a short stop at the local inn within the Noble's Quarter but aside from that, we'll be walking up the entire time. Shouldn't take too long, in any case."

"What will we be doing at the inn?" Amber asked, confusion pure in her voice.

Jespar chuckled and patted the pack and what rest inside it that he had bought specifically for Amber. "You'll see."

They made their way up two flights of stairs at a sharp decline to make it up to the main strip in the Noble's Quarter. It was certainly noble, Jespar always thought when he saw it. A flowing stream with smoothed rocks, a few arching wooden bridges fit with simplistic railings, a poet spouting nonsense and people dressed in finer clothes than all the wealth of the Undercity could buy, most likely. Last time he'd been in the Undercity it was sad, pathetic and full of fleshmaggot victims who constantly moaned and groaned about their pain on the streets since no one wanted to house them. It was probably the same. Places like that don't change.

They walked along one of the bridges and stepped into a rather tall yet thin building that had a tower and an arch making a small walkway to it, known as the Fat Leoran inn. It was a pretty simple place, rather lavish like everything else in the Quarter, but still an inn. So, inevitably, it was filled with people travelling and others looking to get drunk. Often times, both. Jespar strode up to the barkeep with Amber in tow and laid three coins onto the counter. "I'd let to rent a room for thirty minutes."

The innkeeper looked at Amber, who was busy noticing all the luxurious details of the inn and raised an eyebrow. "Ugh, fine. Just don't dirty the sheets too much, they were just washed two weeks ago. Your room is the one two levels up, away from the noise down here." He bit one of the coins and jerked his head in the general direction of the staircase, placing a key in Jespar's hand. "You've got an hour."

Jespar rolled his eyes at the barkeep and lightly hit Amber's shoulder. "Come on, we can't waste too much time you know."

She nodded. "Right, right. Sorry. It's just everything here's so… lavish."

"That's the Noble Quarter for you. Full of rich aristocrats and nobles who would rather pay money to see you gone than say a single word to get you to leave. It has nice architecture, however."

They walked up the stairs and made it into the room, Jespar unlocking it and then shutting it behind them. The faint sounds of laughter and singing can be heard from down the stairs. Jespar tosses the pack onto the bed and pulls out fabric, but not just any fabric, a fancy dress styled in Kilé. One of the more expensive dresses out there and lavish. It was mainly black with purple cuffs and undershirt with silver trimmings and intricate designs of no particular object or entity woven throughout it. Amber's eyes went wide when she saw it. Jespar also pulled out a bottle of perfume, trapped in a light blue bottle. It was a mix of lavender, rosemary and a few Kiléan spices that all came together to form one of the best perfumes Jespar had probably smelled in his lifetime. Here on Enderal, at least.

"Is the dress for me?" Amber asked and Jespar was surprised to see the light in her eyes. She looked entirely amazed and oh so happy at the prospect of having such a fine dress all for herself.

Jespar nodded with a small smile on his lips. "Yes, it is. You're going to put it on as with what you're currently wearing, I don't think you'll ever make it into the Sun Temple."

Amber started taking off her articles of clothing and laying them down onto the bed as Jespar turned the other way and began reading one of his books. Not long after, once the air was smelling of perfume and Jespar started to hear a few deep breaths and some struggling, Amber reluctantly spoke. "Jespar, can you help me put the dress on? I'm a little confused on the whole thing."

Jespar set down the book and walked over to Amber. She'd done a good job, but couldn't manage to attach the back so much of her spine and shoulder blades were showing. But she looked good in the dress. A lot of it was also quite off-centre or only partially put on.

"I feel kind of embarrassed that I have to ask for help with putting on a dress," Amber admits to Jespar as she stands as still and straight as she can.

Jespar shrugged. "From what you've told me, you've never really been in a position where you could learn how to properly put on a dress, so I don't think there's any need to be embarrassed."

There were a few more seconds of silence before Amber spoke again. "Now I'm embarrassed that I was embarrassed."

The old mercenary shook his head and chuckled. "Just don't be flustered by the time we make it up to the Sun Temple's gates.  _ That _ wouldn't end up well for you."

She nodded and remained silent as Jespar completed and fixed the dress until it was put on correctly and Jespar had to say, he'd picked a really good dress for her. Her hair seemed so much more vibrant with the dress on and it fit her nicely. She was rather lean so Jespar had been able to pick a smaller - and cheaper - dress for her to wear. The whole thing was a blow to his collection of coin, but that was little worry for him. He had enough to get him what he needed; a few drinks, some new stitches in his clothing, a few health potions and the occasional bout of entertainment.

When they were done with the dress, Jespar fixed up some of Amber's rather unruly hair. It naturally conformed outwards from her head in rather thick strands and the tips almost always seemed to curve away from her head like they were afraid of her. He styled it into something that looked less wind-shapen, pushing much of her hair off to the side most of it curving over the top of her head and onto the other side, and nodded to her when he was done. As he began stuffing what Amber had taken off into the pack, he said casually, "The pack and perfume are yours as well. I have no need for such things so you can have them."

He could almost hear Amber's smile as she stood in front of a nearby mirror and tried to get the most royal and posh look she could accomplish. She did quite well and was soon practicing a specific walking style to go along with the dress.

"So why have you taken it upon yourself to act noble?" Jespar asked as they began walking down the stairs to resume their adventure to the Sun Temple.

"You buy me a dress, make me put on perfume and say we're going to only the most restrictive place in Enderal. I would be more surprised if you asked me to be myself." Amber said as she struggled down the stairs, holding up her dress so it didn't brush too much against the stone under her feet.

They were soon out of the inn and back across the bridge, walking along a thin stone pathway that went over two pools of water at different heights on either side and into a tower that stretched higher up than any other building in the city. They passed through the doors and conversation remained at a minimum as the stairs occupied more of their mind than either of them cared to admit. Ten minutes or so later the two of them made it to the top of the tower and onto a road high above the rest of the city. They were both a little weary from the amount of steps they had to climb, yet it wasn't enough to force them to stop. The sun was shrouded in a veil of clouds by then, albeit only for an hour or so before the cloud passed and the sun was visible once more, and a stiff breeze carried from atop the mountains and hit Amber and Jespar nicely.

They walked up the slow incline of steps and passed several men and women dressed in thick armour that looked like it weighed half a ton, yet they all walked like they were wearing air instead of huge slabs of metal decorated in gold, accompanied by red fabric in the form of a cape. Their swords were all much better than Amber had and she wondered if she could get one if there was an armourer in the Sun Temple. Or if she could even afford it.

There was a particularly bored woman standing on the steps in front of a wooden stand with an open book on it, half the pages used and half empty, her eyes half closed. She started when she saw Jespar and Amber walk up the steps. "All right, before I can let you in, I need to write down who you are. State your names and your purpose here."

Without hesitation, Jespar smiles and said, "I am Jespar Dal'Varek, hired by Magister Firespark to conduct business at the Sun Coast and request to see the Magister."

The woman wrote it down quite quickly. Amber wondered why she wore her armour for such a simple task as that. The woman turned her attention to Amber and said. "Now who are you?"

Once again, Jespar swooped in. Figuratively. "This is Lady Alyss, owner of the famous 'Ostian's Royal Scents and Perfumes' shop! She has come all this way to see Magister Firespark just like myself, at his personal request, and she has answered it. It would be very unwise if you were to turn her away."

The woman rolled her eyes at Jespar and studied Amber a little further. Amber had adopted her noble demeanor when she found the time. "Firespark, huh?" A second goes by before the woman makes nods to herself at the prospect. "Sounds like him, I have to say. Alright, you can enter." She started scrawling in her book and Amber and Jespar continued on their way. The doors to the Sun Temple were big, but not so big that it needed a lever or mechanism of some sort to open and could simply be opened by raw strength. Of course, it took a few guards to help out Jespar, but other than that, it was easy. In order to continue playing the part, Amber did not help push the door open.  _ Smart, I have to admit, _ Jespar thought to himself. She was certainly quick of mind, he had to give her that.

He pressed on with her behind him. "Now that we're inside, I'd tell you that the dress is now not needed, but I don't think you have anywhere to change."

Amber nodded. "It's alright," her mouth quirks into a half-smile, "I actually like wearing this."  _ Money well spent, I suppose _ , Jespar internally said in relief.

The Sun Temple was the same as it had been for probably the past five thousand years. Open, covered in stone and all the buildings along the edge with the only outside roofing being across the stairs that led to the sharp point at the very end of the Temple. A good place to look around and just watch the world; Jespar had done so for many hours, personally. Not that he'd admit it to many, though. Maybe he wouldn't even admit it to anyone he knew. Most of them were just business contacts or the occasional shopkeep or harlot in some corner of the world or another. Amber was probably the closest thing he had to a definitive friend for a long time.

They went directly right after walking through the gate. Some red robbed Novices walked the courtyard from one building to another or struck up a conversation with another amongst their ranks. Keepers roamed the courtyard too, making their usual rounds and looking as bored as someone could possibly be and still function. The Magister's quarters were a floor up on the building closest to the wall and gate on the right side of the courtyard while the left housed a large dining hall, the Grandmaster's quarters and many other things of varying importance. Jespar always liked the tip of the Sun Temple the most, where you could watch the world.

They passed by several mages who were distinctly foreign, all looking to be from Qyra. They exchanged glances, but beyond that, nothing else. When they finally made it to the Magister's quarters, they could hear some rummaging in another room off to the side. "Best make yourself comfortable. Firespark's probably doing some sort of experiment in there."

Amber took a seat by the slowly burning fireplace and just let herself get lost in her thoughts, whatever they were. Jespar spent more time on just trying to figure out who she was as a person. She seemed to have an ability to just simply inherit ways of acting and maybe even speaking like she was a flawless mimic. Maybe she was. She was also undoubtedly skilled in surviving, just in general. Sure, you can't light fires to keep yourself warm and you don't just  _ find _ free meals, but Amber was the type of person who could survive without those things. She'd done so already for who knows how long, after all. Well, she knew, and she wasn't willing to say.

Which was fine of course. He never expected her to just simply tell him her life story with nothing more than giving her a smile, a minor examination and a set of clothes. He'd be a fool to think so, really. He wanted to know more about her, though, despite himself. She was like a grand mystery and he assigned to figure it out and understand it. What it went through and where it will go. All he could do is speculate.  _ For a woman in mourning, she's doing a remarkable job at not showing her feelings. _ He  _ did _ catch her sniffle a little and dab her eye for half a second before the sounds got louder followed by some frantic voices in the other room, a small  _ boom _ , and a partially charred young Novice rushing out of the small room and away to… somewhere. "Sorry sorry sorry, Magister, I'll- I'll go now…" Her voice was filled with embarrassment and shame, and Jespar had an easy time figuring out why.

"Damned Novices…" The old Magister said nearly to himself until he noticed Jespar sitting atop one of his book-laden counters. "Wha- who are you?"

"Jespar Dal'Varek, the man you hired to find out more about Magister Yero, remember?" Jespar hopped down from the counter and stood fully. He was a little shorter than the old Magister, but not by much. He hadn't changed since he'd last seen him, with a large grey beard, very little hair atop his head and dressed in elegant green silk robes. His face was round, as it had been since Jespar knew him, and he had a thick nose, bushy eyebrows and two fiery eyes hidden underneath them. It was a wonder how his eyebrows hadn't caught flame.

The Magister's face softened on recognition. Vaguely. "Oh, right. You. Find anything useful?" He turned and noticed Amber still sitting in the seat, one leg crossed over the other, showing off her old and tattered, mud-stained boots. "And who are  _ you _ ?"

"Someone who has just been diagnosed with Arcane Fever. She just needs an examination and a way to stop said illness. And, scan her aura too, if you don't mind." Jespar said in response.

The old mage looked at Amber with suspicion for a few moments, looked back to Jespar, shook his head and sighed. "Fine, fine. I will at least see her aura. I can't promise her a fix for her Fever, however. You're sure it was Arcane, right?"

Amber simply flicked fire to her fingers and held them out for Firespark to inspect. "Definitely."

Jespar resisted a chuckle and even Firespark smiled the slightest bit at her. "Alright, now that you've proven me wrong, let's see your aura…" He held out his hand in front of Amber and closed his eyes. "Hm, there's something… odd about your aura. Off."

"How so?" Jespar asked, one eyebrow raised.  _ She just keeps getting more and more intriguing… _

"Normally, auras feel red or orange, sometimes yellow and very rarely, green. If that makes sense. But her's is different. It's more… blue, perhaps?" Firespark stopped the small investigation of Amber's aura and sat down in the seat in front of her. "How long have you had this fever for?"

"Two days now, I suppose," Amber said. "I feel quite fine, though, it's just a minor dull throb. Hardly noticeable."

"Huh, I wouldn't be surprised if you went wild with the Blue… Tell me about how you find out about your magical abilities. Right from the beginning." Firespark was quite interested now and that wasn't something easily accomplished by anything other than musty old scrolls and books.

Amber looked up to Jespar, who nodded and drew in a deep breath, starting into her whole adventure once again. This time, not from when she met Sirius. She started on the ship, avoiding her nightmare and telling the tale to the best of her ability. Jespar had to admit, she made a good storyteller. Her voice and accent complimented it quite well.

Jespar fell away from Amber's story telling, having heard it all before in almost the exact same wording. As Firespark soaked up the information like a fountain statuette that could defy the laws of the world, Jespar found himself interested in what books the old man kept in his study.  _ 'The History of Enderal' _ by  _ 'The Order' _ .  _ Somehow I feel this book will always view the Order as the best thing the world could have… _

Try as he might to enjoy a good book, though, his thoughts drifted back to Amber. Now she was even more of a mystery. Anomaly seemed a more fitting term as time went on. She was probably the only person who could survive what she did, after her encounter with the woman in robes she had described, suddenly found she had arcane talent, and an ability to predict the future that she hadn't been able to recreate since, encountering a mercenary who was willing to help her and now stood in front of one of the most prestigious Magisters in this part of the world and in the single most important location on the continent.

And of course, she was good looking. Very good looking, actually. But her personality just didn't seem to fully fit her appearance. Of course, the traits he expected her to have were purely from his own experiences from the past and common knowledge that warped its way into 'fact' yet it never applied to all. Maybe she was hot-tempered yet no one had done anything to truly unleash that wrath, maybe she was the calmest person you could meet… well, scratch that one. Jespar had seen first hand that, no, she wasn't always calm no matter the circumstance. Preferable too; made her seem more real. More ordinary. Relatable. But he still knew too little about her and he figured he'd find out eventually, or perhaps not.

He was finely combing through a book when he noticed a phrase that sounded familiar to what Amber had once said. "It all begins with the dreams…"

Apparently, he had said it out loud, because Firespark spoke up. "What was that, Jasper?"

"Jespar," he corrected, "is the name. But that's what this Veiled Woman said, right? 'It all begins with the dreams'?"

"Yes, exactly," Amber said with a little smile. "I'm glad you remembered."

Firespark cut off Jespar before he could voice a reply. "Did you truly hear those words, Ember?"

"Amber," the half-Kiléan corrected. "Yes, the Veiled Woman said them before she knocked me unconscious."

Firespark rubbed his chin and asked, "What was the most unusual experience of the whole thing?"

"It would definitely have to be the… vision, I experienced? And perhaps the endless ocean as well."

"Endless ocean?" Firespark seemed more intrigued again, scratching at his beard and staring at either Amber directly or the ceiling of his quarters. "What do you mean by that?"

Evidently Amber hadn't made it that far into the story. "When I 'woke up' after nearly being drowned, I saw this place. It was an endless ocean in any direction, yet I was standing on a platform of stone with nine pillars in it, all of different shapes. The sky was the most brilliant thing, filled with stars and golden dust with a lone star, bigger than all the rest but nothing compared to the sun, and it stood at the highest point in the sky. When I first saw it, I had thought that it was the afterlife."

Firespark sat for a few minutes, stroking his chin and staring into the wall absently. "Most interesting… And have you been able to return to this place?"

"Yes, I did back in Riverville. I reached a deep state of inner peace, I suppose, and when I opened my eyes, I was back there."

"Very, very interesting. That is… more strange than even your aura, I do believe. I will need to look into it further, but it might mean something behind your magical abilities. In the meantime, let's solve them, shall we? Fix your magical talents so that you won't suffer from the Fever nearly as badly, I mean." Firespark drew in a deep breath and, with a hint of humour in his eyes but complete seriousness in his voice started to speak again. "What you need to do is sit in a cave with minimal food and nothing but your thoughts for five years of your life, finding the meaning of yourself and controlling your magics."

Amber's face was priceless, and Jespar nearly found himself laughing. "You… you can't be serious! It takes  _ that _ long to learn how to use magic?"

Firespark remained completely deadpan, though Jespar's face had gone a touch of red and he held a hand over his mouth to hide his grin. Amber paid no attention to him. "Oh yes, definitely. If you're from this backward nation of Enderal." He allows himself a ghost of a smile. "Fortunately, you're speaking to someone from another place than this shithole and we have a better way of taming that wild magic in you. You need to speak to a younger made, Lashiri, and ask her to do the ritual since I don't know it myself."

"Alright, where can I find her?"

" Old Rashêngrad , if I do remember correctly. She went on an expedition there some weeks ago. It's an old Pyrean ruin outside the ruin of Ark some distance from here. A few hours travel, I believe. It's further north after following the road out to the forests. You came here from Riverville did you not?"

Amber nodded. "I did."

"Then I am sure you noticed the road that went north. Follow that until you see a large stone structure off the trail, somewhat hidden by vegetation. That is your destination."

Amber smiled and stood up from her seat, giving Firespark the smallest of bows. "Thank you for your help. If you find anything else about my strange encounter, I would love it if you could tell me."

"Of course. Walk blessed." Firespark said as he walked over, grabbed the book from Jespar's hands, rather gently, and began reading as he took a seat by the slowly burning fire.

Jespar made out of the room and soon caught up to Amber, grabbing the pack that carried all of Amber's supplies as he left. She walked like she was a Queen of some sort, and Jespar couldn't help but notice how well she did it. If he hadn't met her wearing century-old robes and unconscious in a thicket, but instead dressed in her current clothing and acting as she was, he'd mistake her for another noble, or even Lady Alyss, as she so masterfully assumed the role of.

"Does the Sun Temple have a blacksmith?" Amber asked when Jespar caught up.

Jespar nodded. "It does. Need to sell something, or maybe buy?"

"Yeah, I think I need a new sword. The one I have is fine but… I need something lighter and stronger. Lighter at the very least." Amber said as she walked down the stairs to the courtyard.

"If I remember right, it's down on the lower level of the Temple on this side. I'm sure you can ask one of the Keepers or Novices if you get lost. I have something else I need to do. But, I was wondering, care to see me down in the Dancing Nomad inn? It's the one in the Foreign Quarter, so I'm sure you already know the one."

Amber slowed down and blinked a few times before nodding, accepting the pack being offered by Jespar. "Yeah, of course. I'll meet up with you soon."

Jespar smiled and made his way out into the courtyard, saying a common farewell to his companion and left the Sun Temple, his thoughts growing increasingly distant and saddened as he went.


	11. Nomad

She was rather astounded by the pure luxury of the Sun Temple. It was, in almost every meaning of the word, a palace. And a fortress. The walls were thick and the entire structure was placed on a spot of only one point of entry. She saw men with rippling muscles walk by, carrying armour that looked to weigh more than her entire body and wielding weapons that looked better than her own. That was mainly why she wanted to find the blacksmith and see if she couldn't get herself a new sword. She had half a mind to see if she could make off with some robes to make her look like she belonged here and see if she could get a sword for no payment.

But, that would be deceitful and she wanted to stay on the better side of the Gods, if they existed. They probably didn't, but since no one knew for hard fact, she had to accept that they might still be around and away from society for an unannounced amount of time, as the Order had claimed.

Amber made her way into a second building with less open space and seemed to be more of a housing building. There was a bard strumming a lute and occasionally kicking a drum resting at his feet, singing one of the local songs she hadn't heard before in a refined and well practiced voice, nothing like her own silly attempt at looking royal. She was  _ sure _ she wasn't acting noble enough, or snooty, or walking in the right way. But it seemed to fool the people of the Order so she supposed it was good enough for her. She made her way into one of the empty rooms and closed the door before anyone asked what she was up to, taking off her fine dress as neatly as she could and placing it in her pack generously given to her by Jespar, before pulling out her old clothing and putting it back on. At least she felt more comfortable in the clothes also generously given by Jespar and not like she had to act like the world's bitchiest woman. Or something close. She liked the hairstyle though; it suited her. She decided to keep it.

Once she felt more like herself and less of an imposter of someone who clearly exists, or existed, fixed her hair and made several other minor adjustments, she made her way out of the small room and closed the door once again. She looked around and noticed all the other unoccupied rooms were open, so she opened her's back up again and left it that way before walking out to the courtyard.

She made her way over to one particularly regular looking young woman with obsidian hair flowing down to her jawline, each hair a different length and shining in the slowly fading sun, covering the left side of her face from view. She wore rich red robes lined with brown and Amber could clearly see some hard-boiled leather under some of the cloth. She was quite pleasant to look at, if Amber was any judge, and had nice features. The only thing that made her a little jealous was the size of her chest compared to her own, which seemed rather small or perhaps non-existent in comparison. And she was also perhaps a little jealous that the woman was a few inches taller than she was.

"Uhm, excuse me?" Amber asked the woman a little hesitantly. The girl looked down at her and smiled.

"Yes, how can I help you?" Her voice was nice, if a little deep. Not enough to be odd or annoying, however.

"Could you guide direct me to the armory? You  _ do _ have one, right?" Amber said, unsure.

The woman chuckled a little and nodded. "Yes, we do. See the two buildings there?" She pointed to the very same structures that Amber had been in. "Go between them and down the stairs. Don't look down if you can't handle being really high up, and walk down to the end of the hallway, you'll find a door just a bit before that and that's where the armory is."

Amber smiled to the youth, roughly her own age. "Thank you, walk blessed."

"Walk blessed to you as well." She said before walking off.

Amber had a feeling that others wouldn't be so willing to help out. She had been informed of the persistent racism prevalent and while she had never truly experienced it yet, she had a feeling that winning streak was going to end soon.

She walked away from the red-robed woman, who she suspected to be Novice but couldn't be sure, and followed her instructions. She  _ did _ look down, though, and was amazed by the sight. She wondered how everything could seem so small, but when she thought back to how tall it had seemed earlier in the day, she supposed it made sense. When she walked through the door and into the armoury, she was blasted by heat that seemed to melt her flesh. She very nearly stumbled back out of the door but she forced herself into the tight, hard to breath and scorchingly hot room.

There was a woman looking less impressed by the second as she looked at the visitor who had nearly stumbled through the door. She eyed Amber warily as she approached. "What is it?"

The gruff, unwelcoming tone caught her off guard for a few moments. She  _ had _ expected not everyone to be so welcoming to her. She looked down at her clothes and wondered if they were what had caused the attitude of the blacksmith to drop so quickly. "Can I order a sword from here?"

The blacksmith looked very unimpressed but still grabbed a small notebook and quill from an inkwell. "Fine. What do you want?"

She paused for a few seconds, thinking, before naming the type of sword she wanted to use. It needed to be something fit her as a person. "It would need to be light, no more than seven pounds… long, with a simple crossguard, no need to be too fancy. Strong and durable too, as best as you can get. It doesn't need to be too long, though, but I would prefer a longsword over a shortsword if you can manage."

The blacksmith scrawled down the notes onto the parchment and did some calculating. "I can make it light, simplistic with a little flare, strong, durable and about three feet in length or so. Of course, doing so would cost some money."

She had expected nothing less. "How much?"

"Seven hundred pennies at the very least. Could you afford that?"

Seven hundred… she internally groaned and was sure a wince came to her face. "I can have the money by the end of the week." She nearly walked out of the door before turning herself around and walking back. "I assume you'll want a signature from me or something?"

"Forward payment, so yes, a signature is required. I'm sure that, since you're a Kiléan, you can handle such a minor expense."

_ Half-Kiléan, _ Amber corrected the blacksmith internally. Not her fault that her mother had more influence with her appearance than her father. "How much do you need for the forward payment?"

"Two hundred pennies. You can pay me the five hundred once the sword is done." The blacksmith handed Amber the quill, inkwell and the parchment with her notes on it.

She skimmed through it, seeing everything she had asked for written down with even a little sketch of the sword. She liked the look of it. Sleek, simple, yet with subtle details along the crossguard and pommel. Amber wrote her signature along with a sentence or so of validation that it was her and the purchase was made by her before handing everything back to the blacksmith. "Farewell,"

"Walk blessed," the blacksmith said indifferently as she turned and went to work.

Amber hoped she'd get her sword soon. The one she had right now was too weighty and hurt her arm after only a few swings. Perhaps it had more weight in the tip than was necessary. She didn't know. She knew very little about swords, as to be expected, but she knew a few things about them. Enough for her to order one and not be corrected, at the very least.

She made her way back up from the amazing sight of the world seemingly hundreds of meters behind her to the courtyard, with it's orderly carved white stones and constructed streams, paths and low-trimmed deep green grass. All of it maintained to the highest order, trimmers wandering with large metal shears trimming the hedges surrounding the royal-styled buildings. It made sense it was all of the highest class design and materials though, it stood in the capital of an entire continent and was where most of the Lightborn lived. It seemed like they were somewhat distinctly absent, but it was rumoured they had left into private dealings, leaving the Order to take care of things.

She made her way almost to the gate before she stopped and thought for a moment. If she lacked the means to fully defend herself physically, what with spending all her money on a sword and lacking any and all armour, she supposed the only logical way to defend herself was through magic. She made her way off to some rather unimportant part of the Temple, by the gilded iron railings that stopped people from simply falling off, yet it was low enough any adult or older adolescent could easily lean against it and stare off into the world presented at such an incredible height.

There was a bench close to where she chose to be and she sat down on it, feeling oh so happy to finally have some time to relax after everything. It was nice to just take some time off and enjoy the world and try not to think of everything that had happened in the past few days. An impossible task, at least to Amber, but still something she tried to accomplish. She pulled out the book that Jespar had gotten her in Riverville, the one focusing on Elementarism specifically, and flipped open the pages and began reading. It was a rather small book and did nothing more than explain the best way to cast her magic effectively, letting it be more of a simple thought and will it into existence, as opposed to mindless spraying from the hands. She had been caught in a mix of the two, mediocre overall. There were some subtle things she could do to better herself. Keep her posture straight, keep her hand close to her chest, focus less on actually casting and let it be more instinctive.

By the time the sun was starting to kiss the mountain tops in the west, Amber had gone through the book and felt more knowledgeable about her magics and had done a little practicing. Not enough to garner unwanted attention, but enough to get the feel for what she needed to do under the stress of combat.

When the thought of the people she had killed came to mind, she forced them away yet they didn't leave like she had hoped. She saw their bodies fall still and lifeless against stone, dirt and grass, saw the fear in their eyes the moment they realized they would die and forced her gaze to the sunset and its golden-scarlet light that beaconed out as an aura covering a third of the sky, painting clouds with the same colour and growing ever fainter and ever darker as time marched on, as it always did. She had to stop thinking about them. The heroes of the stories she read never did. That shows how weak she is and she  _ wasn't _ weak. She had made it this far.

She remembered the first sunset she had seen on Enderal. It was remarkable, just like this one. Were all the sunsets on Enderal so beautiful? She supposed so, but perhaps it was a little too early to judge. She  _ had _ only been there for three days, after all. Three days… only two with sleep… and she didn't feel tired.  _ Good, less nightmares for me _ . Even as she thought of her thankful respite, she was still confused and puzzled. Why was it that she didn't feel tired? She had been in more stressful situations than the one she was in and even then she had still succumb to her natural instinct to sleep. This time it was different. Perhaps it was the magic. She would need to ask Magister Firespark when she got back from her journey if he had experienced lack of sleep ever since he could cast magic.

Finally, she decided it was time to see Jespar. Whatever he wanted to do was clearly coming to an end and she had completed her own little task that could very well save her life in the future. She walked out of the gates and said farewell to the Sun Temple, if only temporarily, and did her best to ignore the stares of disgust and confusion as they saw a woman dressed as a commoner descending from the Sun Temple, clearly having been given access to it for one reason or another. A  _ Kiléan  _ woman, for that matter! She just walked on, pack slung over her shoulder, and feeling like she belonged in Enderal less and less with every stare she noticed.

At last, she finally made it to the Dancing Nomad. The inn closest to the gates and the one Jespar had said to meet him at. She pushed open the doors and walked in, ignoring the few people who looked her way and searched for her mercenary friend. She found him sitting alone at one of the tables, a rather voluptuous serving girl giving him more than just his meal. "If you ever need some more excitement, you know where to find me." She gave a final wink to him and walked off, brushing past Amber harmlessly as she went to get and fill more tankards.

"That I do…" Jespar said as he nearly slipped off into reverie before he noticed Amber taking a seat on the other side of him. "Oh, look who finally decided to show up."

Amber felt herself blush. She wasn't  _ that _ late, was she? She also couldn't help but feel more than a little jealous of the serving girl and her curved body. Amber's, while undeniably feminine, still lacked the curves and thickness that much of the women she had seen throughout the continent bore. And the stares Jespar gave the woman… she felt a little jealous at that too. "My apologies. I decided to read the book you gave me back in Riverville. The one on elementarism."

Jespar performed a slow and thoughtful nod, appearing entirely genuine. "Help any? I know they've done wonders for me every now and again. They're expensive little books, though."

She nodded. "I believe the book helped quite a bit, actually. Learned how to better wield my magic. I only hope the lessons remain under stress."

"All you need to do is keep your mind right where it belongs and see clearly. You'll do just fine if you remain like that." Jespar offered his advice as two bowls of stew was laid out for them. He looked around the inn at all the patrons. "A nice view, isn't it?"

"Mhm. There's a lot of beautiful women here." She couldn't help but say.

"Absolutely."

They ate mostly in silence, Amber occasionally playing with her stew instead of eating it, and drifting off into a deeper thought before being ripped back to reality by one thing or another. One time it was a dancer. Another time it was Jespar. A few times, it was herself. And another time it was a drummer who got particularly close to the two of them.

After they had finished their stew, they delved into deep conversation. Amber always loved speaking with one purpose or another; small talk bored her and made her feel uncomfortable. Like she didn't belong in the room. Or anywhere, for that matter. Like she was an intruder, trying to breach someone else's thoughts in order to find a deeper meaning to the words she said. Find some reason to justify the company and noise. Jespar and Amber spoke at length of all sorts of things. The Gods, the current state of the world, what little they knew of the Red Madness, the civil wars plaguing the world. How doomed the world seemed, in many aspects. Humans always persevered, as they always had done. Jespar was less optimistic than she was, but he never attempted to hamper her own hopes for the world. He was good like that.

They had finished their meal a long time ago, their bowls and spoons having been carried off and much of the chatter and singing and dancing and yelling and occasional brawling growing less occasional and more constant with every passing hour. Jespar smiled and sighed as he looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, took in a breath and let his smile fall away. "I'm leaving Enderal tomorrow."

The words caught Amber like an arrow. It oddly pierced just as much as one, too. "Wuh… you can't leave! Things were just starting to get interesting!"

He chuckled and while humour was still present, it no longer had the same effect that it did before. "I certainly say so, but it's your adventure; not mine. I'm sure you can handle things here just fine."

"But where will you go? What will you do?"

Jespar scratched at his chin. "Got to Qyra, first. Already booked passage on ship."  _ So that's what he meant by 'something I need to do'… _ "After that, probably just do the same old thing I've always done: survive. Live, get paid, have a good fuck every now and then… you know, familiar things."

Amber frowned. She didn't like the prospect of being left alone. If only she had Sirius… but no, she didn't. Sirius was dead. Jespar wasn't. And he… he made her feel important. Something worth looking at… spending time with… caring for. She had one last gamble she could throw out, and she took it. "Still, you can't just leave. You'd be robbing Enderal of a very handsome man."

Jespar grinned at that, with that smile that could mask the world's suffering, and Amber felt her heart rise once more. "Well, that's all right. It seems to me that Enderal just gained a very beautiful woman in return." He stood, tossed a purse of coin to the hyper-aware barkeep and looked at Amber. "I'll be leaving tomorrow morning. I hope to see you around, Amber. It was nice."

Amber could only nod, not risking opening her mouth to prevent countless pathetic excuses for him to stay to echo from her mouth. Jespar smiled and gripped her hand lightly, running his fingers along her skin, softly squeezing her fingers, releasing and walking off and out the doors.

She was stunned. What had she done wrong? She could have sworn… Well, whatever the reason, she was probably the cause of it. As she always seemed to be. She was the reason Sirius died. She was the reason she had fallen into using drogae to block the pain when she was younger. She was the reason her parents died… Wait, no. That one isn't right. She  _ knew _ she didn't kill them; the masked men did. Left her alone and afraid in the world. She hadn't learned enough to properly survive and the age of eight was nowhere near being old enough to live the life of an adult.

Somehow or another, she had fucked up and Jespar left. Gone. People don't just leave nearly out of the blue. They have to have reason behind it. At least… at least he had the decency to tell her.  _ Not the decency to stay, however… _ She thought bitterly as she counted ten pennies from her purse and nearly slammed them into the counter. She felt a little bad when she saw the crescent mark in the counter she had left in the coin's wake. "One room."

He scooped up the coins, dropped them somewhere behind the counter, probably in a safe place, and tossed her a key. It had the number five marked into it. She walked upstairs away from the music and singing and cheering. She didn't want any of it; she wanted silence, yet since none could be found, this was the next best thing. The room was small. Single bed, a dresser, a reasonably comfortable mattress with two fluffy feather pillows and a simple but refreshing linen blanket. She would have smiled if Jespar had not made his big announcement less than two minutes ago. It would be the first time she would sleep on a proper bed in over a decade.

She cried. She couldn't help it. Nor could she help thinking about what she had done that Jespar would have disliked so much he would leave. Maybe she wasn't the full reason, but she was certain she at least had some part to play in it. Maybe it was because she wasn't ever showing signals to him that they could move to something deeper than friendship. But then if that was the case, why would he turn down her final attempt, where she had almost declared that very thing? Maybe she wasn't curvy enough. Maybe her hair was wrong. Maybe he didn't like her voice… Thoughts plagued her until she finally and mercifully drifted into thinking about what she'd be doing on the morrow. While she had no love of travelling alone, especially after feeling what it was like with someone else, she knew she would have to. Her least favourite part had to be the whole 'jumping into a Pyrean ruin' business. Sure, she had done it before with the temple at the very beginning of her adventure on Enderal, but she could hardly ever say she 'enjoyed' that.

Feeling forlorn and abandoned, she stripped out of her clothes, shivering a little as the chill pricked her arms and legs full of goose pimples. She crawled into the bed, blew out the lights and tried to fall asleep to the sounds of men shouting and laughing and drinking below her.

And just like every other time, she had a nightmare. Cursed to suffer yet another night of her life. This time, it was different from the usual. But it certainly wasn't any better.

If anything, she could call it worse.


	12. Nightmare

_ She was alone when she opened her eyes. The world was muddled and didn't seem to fully make sense. She was back on the ship.  _ No, no, no! I can't be back!  _ She wanted to scream, yet her voice never found her. Sirius walked back up from the lower section of the ship, where they had fought the two seamen. There was blood on his fists. He smiled when he saw Amber, yet she could tell it was fake. There was no genuinity to it. "Where were you? Could have used your help with those damned men." She stopped and looked at the ceiling for a few moments before meeting her gaze once more. "Of course, you were having one of your nightmares again, weren't you? The ones about your father, and how he keeps blaming you for all of them dying?" _

_ She nodded. There was something wrong with Sirius. He didn't… act like himself. _

_ "Ever think that, maybe, just maybe, he's right? Maybe you  _ were _ the one who caused the fire? Who killed them? Just like me?" _

_ He walked over and grabbed Amber by the throat, slamming her against the crates they had once hidden behind. She struggled and gasped, the air cut from her throat. "Why did you let me die, hm?! You were awake, we both know it. You could have said something! Saved me! But no. You let me die, all so you could live. Why is your life worth so much more than mine?!" _

It's not! It really isn't! I feel lost without you!  _ She wanted to scream, yet the words never reached her tongue. Instead, she continued struggling for air. If the ocean wasn't enough… _

_ Sirius grunted and quickly released her. She fell to the floorboards and gasped, rubbing her throat that burned and stung an almost incredible amount. When she looked up, Sirius was staggering back, an ever-growing pool of blood from his stomach and a sword wound right under his sternum. Right where it had been before.r He looked at her with one final look of pure hatred before stumbling back and turned away, staring at the flames of the lantern as he died. Amber rushed over and tried to stop the flow of blood. All it did was gush through her fingers and continue to flow. She felt helpless and utterly useless. _

_ "So," said a voice from behind her, "you live and he didn't. All as planned." Amber turned to see the Veiled Woman standing right where Sirius had before, by the way down to the rest of the ship. Amber looked down at the blood on her hands and over to Sirius. He was dead. She picked herself up and looked at the Veiled Woman for a few moments before she chuckled and walked off. Amber followed her, her hands clenched into fists ready to fight. Yet, when she stepped past the crates, she was somewhere else entirely.  _ Home… I'm home. _ This cursed place once more, where her mother and sister had been assassinated. Where her father tortured her day and night because he never wanted another her. All he wanted was her sister. Because Amber was a curse to the family. Because  _ she _ was the one who killed Mommy and Sister. _

_ She looked around and everything was normal. She was in her home, with the hearth crackling, food sitting on the table and the sun long since gone. Amber never got to eat while the sun was up. Her father burst through the door and looked at her with rage. More of the usual, yet she was still terrified. She ran upstairs and up to her room, as she normally did, to escape her father. Sometimes, she even jumped out of the window. That usually never ended well, but she did it regardless. _

_ "You can't hide from me, you little brat! You will know what it means to come inside the house while it's still bright out!" He roared as he marched up the stairs. Amber wished the stairs would break under his feet a thousand times throughout her life, yet they never did. _

_ She screamed for mercy as he burst through the door, a thin strip of leather in his hand that he used to rip skin and sometimes even flesh from her bones. He snapped the leather at her and she cried out in pain, then bit her tongue and closed her eyes shut. Tears streamed down her face. "Why do you hate me?" _

_ "Why? You ask that? You who killed your mother and sister? You who brought ruin to us and spat on our customs? You are a wretched, horrid being. Why, of all people, did you live? Because you shouldn't have. Your sister was better made for the world than you are." He slammed the whip down upon the back of her thigh. She whimpered yet held her tongue. _

_ Three more hits across her back and she finally stood up. She knew who she was now and who she was before. She was nothing like who she had been before her family died and she moved into the streets of Ostian. She had changed. With one firm push, she sent her father stumbling back onto the floor. She kicked the old tyrant in the face, ignoring the pain in her foot, before dashing down the stairs and outside. She made it out and stood around the meadow, the sun rising higher into the sky at an impossible speed. Her father didn't follow her and for once, she felt a little safe in this accursed place. _

_ The world flooded with water. It washed over the mountains like a wave and she screamed as it crashed down onto her. It swept the house away and carried off the whole world. When she tried to move, she found she couldn't. She couldn't breathe. The water wouldn't let her. She tried to spin around yet firm and tight ropes bound her to… something. Something unmoving. She forced herself around, her lungs burning and her eyes releasing tears into an ever-growing ocean. When she finally did manage to move around, her heart crumbled as she saw the face of Sirius, his hair swaying in the flowing saltwater and his mouth open and his eyes closed. _

_ She struggled against the ropes and they started to come free. They loosened and started to slip from her form and she felt she could move again. She started to swim away and Sirius grabbed her leg as she tried to escape. She looked down at him, his face saying a single phrase:  _ come back to me. _ She looked away and tried to swim yet Sirius wouldn't budge. She kicked. Again. And a few more times until the hand released and drifted away. When she looked down again, all she could see was a cold, sandy ocean floor and a murky figure lying at the bottom of it. _

_ Her lungs still burned as if they had been put to flame and a thousand knives slowly danced their way along the insides of her lungs, carving, cutting and slicing as they went. She still swam upwards, even through the pain in her lungs, the stiffness of her limbs, and the searing pain in her eyes. Even her mind was sluggish and it reminded her of how she felt when she was drained from using spells. How her mind exhausted itself with the creation of magic made from her own hand into the world. Still, she swam upwards, ever upwards. She started to see the sun again and that drove her forwards. The light was her beacon, the way out and the path to safety.  _

_ As soon as she reached the surface, she immediately sucked in a breath of air and felt an astounding sense of relief. Like how it was when she breathed in back on the beach. That first time when she had gone without for so long… When she looked off into the distance, she could swear she saw a dark figure with a white sail growing ever smaller in the distance… A wave washed over her and forced her to close her eyes. When she opened them, once again, she was in another place entirely, yet again. _

_ This time, when she looked around, she found herself at the inn she thought she was sleeping in. She was dressed in what she was usually wearing, her clothes completely dry, and there were no signs of water anywhere aside from in the drinks and in the stew. Jespar was sitting there at the table and she rushed over to him. He grinned as he always did as she sat down. _

_ She asked the one thing truly on her mind. "Are you really leaving?" _

_ He still smiled, damn him. He still fucking smiled. "Of course! Why would I ever spend my time with someone as broken as you? I helped you much more than I should have. What have you given to me in return? A few smiles, a couple 'thanks' and something resembling an advance." _

_ "But… but I thought…" _

_ "Did you now? Do you do that all the time?" His mouth twitched and his grin started to fade. "There is nothing for me here in Enderal. Not even you, even if you might tell yourself otherwise." _

_ "But I thought I was-" _

_ "Nothing." Jespar interrupted, his voice firm yet without any hint of resentment or disgust. Just simply said and that only made it worse. "You are nothing. And that's all you'll ever be." _

She sat up instantly panting, sitting in a cold sweat and looking around a sunlit room. She was worried she had screamed again, yet her voice didn't hurt. That nightmare was… it wasn't one of the ones she used to have, but thinking back on it, another one of those might have been preferable. She felt… unloved, perhaps. Forlorn felt like it fit rather well. She truly grasped the reality of what was going on this morning, without mourning Jespar's departure. She truly felt something between her and Jespar. While it might not have been love, she knew it was something similar to companionship. Maybe with a hint of lust. She didn't fully know.

She found herself crying again, despite wishing she couldn't.  _ I thought I drained all my tears away last night. _ When she finally grasped hold of her stubborn emotions and cuffed away the remaining tears, she sat in silence for her red-rimmed eyes would go back to normal and she could finally go downstairs without looking horrid. If she was to be someone, emotions such as sadness is something she should not show. Finally, after looking through the faint reflection of a bucket of water in her room and washing down with it, along with reorganizing her hair into that style Jespar had put it in. She tried not to think of him for at least the morning. That wound cut deeper than any arrow or sword could.

When she finally made it downstairs, everything was quiet. Even the hearth seemed silenced. The people were hushed and all of them were looking at her. She sat down at the counter and asked for a bowl of stew, unable to keep the sadness from her voice. The barkeep seemed a little swifter than usual as he went and got her bowl. It was heated and she was thankful for that small mercy. She ate quickly and left a few coins on the table. The innkeeper pushed them back and uttered only a couple words. "Keep them." She couldn't tell if his pity was something she should feel happy about or even more hurt.

She walked outside and looked up at the sun. It was nothing more than a vestige along the mountains, she assumed. Most of the sky was still rather dark. That meant… that meant she had time!

She picked herself up and left immediately, walking so fast she would worry she would trip if her mind was not already occupied. She walked down the marketplace, through the South Quarter and down to the harbour to try and find Jespar and convince him to stay. Maybe he'd listen to her now after she had cried her eyes out. She could say she already missed him and how lost she felt without him. When she made it down to the harbour, she was already smiling and thinking of everything she would say. But she stopped. No ship was in port and when she ran out across the wooden docks, she could see a ship in the distance, growing smaller with every second.

She stood watching it for a few moments, just to make sure it was truly sailing off, and then let the energy she had built up drain from her once again. She wanted to cry but when she looked around, she saw too many pairs of eyes on her. She resisted if only not to embarrass herself in front of them. She looked down at the ocean and felt her breathing rate increase and her heart start pounding. The more she looked at it, the more nervous and frightened she got and she stumbled back onto the wooden boards of the dock. As she did, a huge wave of pain and pressure on her skull occurred and she clutched her head as her vision turned entirely white, then faded into red, and then went back to normal. She had just survived another bout of Arcane Fever. She had to get that fixed soon… She got up quickly and started back onto land. She supposed she'd never truly get over nearly drowning.

Amber knew why Jespar leaving hurt her so much. He was her anchor in this world; the only person alive who would truly help her, listen to her, thank her and treat her kindly. He was polite, well-spoken, thoughtful, understanding, and sympathetic in the the best way possible. He treated her like another human being, another person with their own mind and abilities and way of viewing the world. She was… someone, to him. And that meant the world to her.

Her mind brought her back to her dream and she shuddered and clenched her eyes close. No. None of that was true. It was all in her mind. Sirius may have died, yes, but he lives on in her. She carries him and his memory wherever she goes, even if no one else will. And the Veiled Woman… she will answer for what she's done, and at least give an explanation. Her father… his words were less dream and more memory, as she knew he had said the words before in his life. She expelled all thoughts of him from her mind. He didn't deserve to be thought of, or remembered. And Jespar… what he had said was the opposite of who he was. Her mind was brave and cruel for making that man say such things to her. He never would, she knew.

She would prove her dream wrong, though. Letting her live wasn't a mistake. She wasn't a failure. She could survive this world, Red Madness, civil wars and all. By the Black Guardian, the world could all die in a heartbeat and she'd be the one to crawl out of the ashes. And she wasn't nothing. She was a person. Jespar knew it, and in turn, she did too. She would show the world that she was someone, and someone of importance. She couldn't let this dream destroy her too much; only strengthen her and build her resolve. She was made for this world, and all she had to do was prove it.

Head held high, she made her way down the streets of Ark once more, no longer filled with as much sorrow, as long as she didn't think of Jespar and made her way into the Foreign Quarter and the gate she had seen only a day ago. How massive and impressive it seemed, and while it still did, its grandiose scale seemed to have toned down. Not a lot, but some. Milbert was back at his stall, leaning against the stone bricks that built a small set of stairs up to one building or another, his cart right next to him as usual, and looking better. A grace of a smile touched his lips as he saw Amber approach.

Amber's own smile was faint yet present. Still, it felt somewhat forced and faked. Like it was an act to make her seem like she was fine or better than. "Feeling better, Milbert?"

He shook his head. "No, but I couldn't stay out there in Foamville nor could I destroy my life through drogae. It would spit on my parents' memory, my sister's, and everything I had done to get where I am today." He reached into a pocket in his finely dressed clothes; a new set, as blood was tough to wash out of such articles, and produced a rolled up parchment. "Here, you can take this to the bank. It's worth four hundred pennies so don't lose it! I suppose that makes up for saving my life and getting back the key."

Amber accepted the paper only once Milbert started pushing it incessantly in her direction. She didn't like the prospect of taking money for killing a man's sister, but since he was fine with it and actually pushed for her to do so, she supposed it could do little harm. "My thanks. I wish you fortunes and, take it from me, do not get consumed by the past. Live for the future."

Milbert smiled truly then. "I will, Mydame. Blessings to you, and I will see you soon."

"Blessings to you as well, Milbert," Amber said in a final parting tone before waiting for the gates to open and walking out of Ark and set her eyes on the quest Magister Firespark had given her, go to  Old Rashêngrad and help her magic.


	13. Rashêngrad

The sun was just beginning to show it's beauty to the world over the mountains when Amber stepped out of Ark and onto the rather thin cobble road that would lead her a good ways until she would have to fall off the beaten path, mostly, to get to Old Rashêngrad.

She had her path confirmed and there was no time to delay. Perhaps she was supposed to go the day previous, but she wanted to hear what Jespar was going to say and felt she needed to learn something. She needed to deposit the paper scroll Milbert had given her mere minutes before if she was ever going to be able to pay for the sword she had ordered from the blacksmith up in the Sun Temple. She had all the money she needed, but it was said that the prices might fluctuate so she decided to still barter away what she could and take what she figured was valuable so she would have enough coin for the sword. Armour would come after, but armour was no use if you couldn't defend yourself with a weapon you actually liked and could wield properly so the blade came first in terms of priority.

She walked down the path that would lead to a future she would like to live in. While she didn't feel ill, she trusted in both Jespar and Magister Firespark and what they thought should be done. After all, who had ever heard of someone who, upon discovering they could use magic, never had to even truly spend time and effort harnessing it?

As she walked and thought, she thought of all the possibilities that she could pursue. All the things she could be. She had been here not even a week and she had found herself standing in the most important structure in Enderal. She had only been here a few days and she had already begun to understand swordsmanship and already got enough pennies to pay of what she owed in her old life. This time was different. She was reborn, in a way, and while not physical, she felt like a new being. Diligent in her pursuit of glory and while she had felt it before, this time it was greater. Stronger. More a constant thought. That wasn't a bad thing though.

She walked along the cobble roads, passing by waist-high stone walls and others which had been taller yet fallen into disrepair. She walked by tall, uncut grasses, goats eating that grass and into the woods she had made her way out of only a day before, by fallen trees and others standing tall and proud like natural towers and pillars, their leaves branching out like a ceiling to block the sky. Her thoughts did their best to strangle her peace, however. Her mind refused to believe what she had screamed to herself only an hour or less before. There was still the doubt that she wasn't worthy. That she wasn't… a person, like only her and Jespar saw. Only them.

Even though her mind still continued to bring her doubt and worry, she forced her feet onwards and off to her only goal. Her destination to rid herself of issues she could have with controlling magic. After that, she didn't know. Freedom, she supposed. Find life as an adventurer, or perhaps sellsword. Maybe she'd leave Enderal once the next ship came in and go to Qyra and go on some crazy journey to find Jespar again and travel with him. Be his friend. Feel appreciated.

She found herself smiling at the thought. But that seemed like something… ungrateful, to do. She would have only been here half a month and already she would leave. Yet, maybe that was the right way to go. People didn't like her here. Didn't like foreigners. And that's exactly who she is. Maybe she had to go somewhere more trusting and less backwards. She shook her head as she walked along a bridge, the road full of stones devolving into a simple dirt trail with sparse cobblestones. A silly thought, but perhaps the right one.

She walked under a large stone wall that stretched overtop the trail and kept her eyes wary. It was said that the ruin wasn't directly along the roads, and why would it be? So she made sure she looked as best she could so she didn't miss it. It didn't take her long to find it, some two or three hours away from Ark. It was an old ruin of a time passed from memory, standing behind trees and shrubs that grew and concealed all but it's tall tower standing at the top of the hill it rested upon. She walked up the long line of steps that led to between a tower and a rock face that nearly matched the height of the tower.

Amber sighed, looked around and decided to rest for a few minutes. She had no way of knowing what would be inside the ruin, the entrance being a noticeable hole in the rock face held up with dozens of thin logs all cut and crossed along one another like an old skeleton, so she decided a few minutes to think and prepare herself would be a wise decision.

When her travel-weary feet groaned as pressure was put back on them, she let her hand stray to her sword. The wrong hand, mind, but a hand nonetheless. The feel of tough leather atop a cold steel handle comforted her, oddly enough. Only a week ago, she had looked at swords with disdain and now she was relying on one to keep her alive should shit go wrong. Knowing what little she did about life, and Enderal, she assumed it would. Of course, that never meant she liked actually  _ using _ the blade at her hip. It just kept her safe and that's what she valued in it.

She stepped inside Old Rashêngrad soon enough and found there was no need to even draw her blade. No one was there. Absolutely no one. Everything was abandoned, yet nothing seemed fully out of order. Pickaxes were laid gently upon low crates and barrels, swords hung on racks, untouched, and a room where plans and ideas were finalized rested next to a decline that stretched down into the deeper tunnel a ways below her. She first checked out the room with low wooden tables and a multitude of objects laying on top of them. There were potions, books, daggers, maps, journals, candles, some lit and others that had gone out not long ago. Everything seemed normal, except for the lack of people. She grabbed a few of the labelled potions,  _ Healing _ being written on each one in a fine penmanship that Amber felt was so rehearsed and practiced, the individual's hand must be perpetually stabbed with pain.

There was a chest off to the left of the door, if one was entering, at the far end of the room by the table at the very far side in the middle, a torch sputtering above it with golden light that extended its aura to anywhere it could reach. Amber made her way back through the doorway and, deciding nothing else was of importance up here and that she should go further down, started to walk down the slope. She stumbled upon a few patches of bright blue crystals lying close to the floor. How had she not noticed them before?

"Shit, get back! Now!" A voice, distinctly feminine, shouted from behind her.

Amber instinctively stood still for the smallest fraction of a second before leaping back. Not a moment later did the crystals explode into a bright sky blue light and dozens of shards. One of the shards flew by Amber and sliced a part of her cheek, making her wince in pain when she noticed the minor injury. But it was fine, she was alive. That's what mattered.

There was a woman before her. She was a handful of inches taller than Amber was - because who wasn't? - with rich black hair that glistened like obsidian in the dim light of the cavern. She was dressed in a green linen suit that hugged her body rather tightly and Amber couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the style. It was… still somewhat conservative, yet didn't leave much of her bodily figure to the imagination. The woman was, without a moment of doubt, far more curved than Amber could ever dream of being. She had a small bandolier, lined with potions and a mortar and pestle, along with a scroll, wrapped around her waist, held up by feminine hips. "By the Prophet's Ass! One more second and I would have had to clean you up off the ceiling and walls!"

Amber dabbed her cheek and looked down at the blood that clung to her fingertips before wiping it away on one of her pantlegs. "Yeah, thanks for the warning."

The woman smiled a little and bowed the slightest bit. A subtle movement Amber hardly even picked up on. "Think nothing of it. Those crystals were put up in defense. Never thought they'd be destroyed by someone on this side of them… So, now that we've got that out of the way, what are you doing here?"

"I was sent on the orders of Magister Firespark to find a mage called Lashiri, she is supposedly here." Amber said almost absently as she continued to dab her cheek. It stung every time she touched it, yet not enough to convince her to stop.

"Lashiri?" The woman asked incredulously. "Ugh damn that old man... It's  _ Lishari _ , by the way, so you don't mess it up again. Lishari Peghast. But… it  _ does _ prove that old Firebeard sent you. He has always been terrible with names. So what did you seek me out for?"

"Well, I'm a new mage. Found out I had magical talents three days ago and need someone to help me tame it." Even as Amber said so, she flicked some golden light that danced in the palm of her hand and pressed it towards her cheek, healing the small, yet actively bleeding, cut that Amber had obtained. The cut healed very quickly and Amber cuffed away the blood as best as she was able. She lightly tapped the skin she had just healed and smiled to herself. No scar this time. She had to keep that technique in mind.

"Clearly you have some experience with magic, or else you would have not been able to cast that spell. Three days, you say?" Lishari asked with a hint of astonishment and disbelief. "That's… a lot quicker than anyone should be capable of. But I can see why old Firespark sent you my way. Your aura is… strange. Really strange. I've never encountered anything like it before."

Amber gave a small shrug that fully said she knew that too. "I suppose I'm an anomaly of some sort."

"Seems like. Fleeting Memory and I will have to discuss that soon, when I return to the Sun Temple." Lishari walked over to where the crystals used to be and pointed down the steadily declining hallway. " 'Course, I can't head back until I solve this problem here. That's why I haven't already helped your fever."

"So what happened?" Amber asked as she looked down. All she saw was the hallway, a wooden table down at the end of it, a torch flickering above it and dirt making the floor and wall. Overall, nothing of true interest.

Lishari sighed and shook her head. "I don't exactly know. I know that I went up here to find some important things I, along with my colleagues, were researching when I heard screams and clanging metal further down. As I looked for cover, I saw two men walk by in red robes. I don't know much about them, but I'm quite sure they're mercenaries. So, if you want your Fever to be cured, you're going to help me rescue the Novices and guards that I've been working with for the past few weeks, because if you leave I will not do it."

Amber nodded her agreement. "How many mercenaries are we talking about?"

"I don't exactly know but there has to be less than a dozen. We should be able to take them, since you look like you can handle yourself."

_ If by handle myself you mean 'swing my sword around until the other guy falls over' then yes, I can. _ Amber nodded lightly and started walking down the hallway, watching out for any more of the crystals that Lishari might have placed. The last thing she needed was to be turned into a paste.

As they walked down, the two heard footsteps and voices. When they got close enough, they saw three of the robed mercenaries walk out from a pathway that cut into one that Amber and Lishari were walking down. Two of them stumbled back a little, the final one drew magic to his hands. Ice and fire danced in each hand as he spoke. "Blazes, you were right! Kill them!"

Amber drew her sword as soon as she was able and slung some fire in her opponent's direction to, if not burn and deal damage, distract. Lishari also drew spells to her, mainly at the tip of her staff though. The fire Amber threw had a better effect than what she had feared. It lit the first mercenary's hair on fire, along with their robes, and they dropped their weapon as they stumbled around looking for water. That gave Amber ample time to kick the shin of the other mercenary and hide from the magic that would undoubtedly be sent her way if she exposed herself too much.

When the second mercenary nearly doubled over in pain, Amber did the only thing her brain told her to do and shoved the mercenary back into the one who had magic in his hands. The mercenary stumbled back and let go of his mace as he stumbled back and smashed the back of his head against the mage's knee. Amber closed her eyes as she swung her blade down onto the mage who had lost most of their hair, letting of quite a horrid smell, and winced as a spurt of blood dashed across her face. She still hated that sensation, as much as she did killing people. But she had to, as much as she didn't want to. How could she fulfil her goal if she was dead, after all?

When she brought herself to withstand the sensation of pulling the sword from her enemy, she made a mad dash towards her other enemies and thrust her sword into the mercenary, nearly crying out as more blood sprayed across her and yet another person died by her hand. The stories of heros and legends always made it seem less… terrible. The mercenary underneath her pulled her leg before she could pull her sword out. She fell and rolled to avoid the body. She heard her sword clang to the ground and saw even more blood rush out in ever-greater volumes onto the dirt floor. The mercenary would have surely done more if he had not been electrocuted by Lishari from a well timed and well planned bolt of lightning. The bandit twitched for a few minutes as his flesh cooked and his clothing burned away. Amber was more than eager to leave by the time it was all over.

"Well, you can certainly handle yourself," Lishari remarked with a whistle. There was a man dressed up in armour that Amber knew somewhat well. Red, with a white bird on the front. The cuffs with white stripes and underneath it all, chainmail and leather. It was undoubtedly a member of the city guard who had come along on the adventure and ended up meeting more excitement than he wanted. Amber paid her respects while Lishari rummaged through the rather massacred bodies that still dripped blood. When she was done, Lishari was holding a slip of paper partially soaked in blood. She read it and then spoke. "What the fuck?"

"Hm?" Amber turned her attention to the young mage as she cleaned the blood from her sword. "What is it?"

"These are orders. They're from my assistant, Sevf. Apparently, he's the one who put a dozen lives to death." Lishari let the paper fall to the ground into a pool of crimson blood that looked like ink in the dim.

Betrayal. Amber's throat felt coarse. "You have my sympathy."

"Save it for Sevf, when I shove this staff up his ass and fire a thunderbolt!" Lishari said sharply. A fire had ignited in her eyes and she looked ready to kill. Or at least hurt someone severely. "When I'm done with him…" She stormed off further into the ruin and Amber obediently followed. She held the key to her cure, after all. They came across two doors. One that led higher up into the ruin and one a little lower. Lishari was about to make a comment when a deep rumble ran throughout the structure, tossing dirt down from the ceiling and partially from the walls. Amber pressed her lips together as dirt fell over her and sunk into her hair. Recognition of what was happening ran through Lishari's mind and her eyes went wide. "Shit, you smell that? That's fire! So they really are trying to destroy our research… You need to go down there and stop them before everything's lost."

"What about you?" Amber asked as she pulled her sword from its sheath and went into the recesses of her mind to pull a spell of water or ice. Ice was the result and when it froze part of the dirt that made up the wall solid, she wasn't disappointed.

"I'll do the same in the other corridor. We'll meet back here once we're done. Oh, and should you find my assistant Sevf, I wouldn't mind if you hauled his ass back here alive so I could deal with him personally." She drew her staff and sucked in a breath of old, dank air. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Amber replied as she started down to intercept the mercenaries in the lower levels.

Lishari did the same and they ran off in their own directions.

Amber ran into the room and was immediately met with heat. It choked the air out of her lungs and seemed to singe her face and hands. She ran deeper into the ruins and found fire blazing inside two pillars and conjured ice to stop it. Only when the flames hissed and ceased did she feel it was safe.

"Wrong place, wrong time." Someone said behind her. When she turned, she instinctively thrust her blade out and ended up stabbing one of the mercenaries, mace and shield in hand, directly in the head. He stared at her wide eyed and swiftly fell over. Amber continued further down.

She ran as fast as her legs would take her. Down stone steps, around sharp corners, and through a golden, decorated door into a wide room with three fires. Two in each corner closest to the door and one on the far side in another hollow pillar. There was a mercenary in front of her and Amber wasted no time in running up and slicing her sword across the man's chest. The magic he had summoned died in his fingertips as he fell to the ground as blood sprayed in an arch. Amber rushed over to the larger fire when she started to hear screams.

"Help me, please! Help!"

Amber forced the fire to cease and rushed over to the other one. She had time. She knew it. She hoped. Another fire ended and as she rushed over to meet the final one, a mercenary wielding a battleaxe met her with a downwards chop that broke stone underneath its weight. Amber stabbed her sword and watched only for a moment as the body slumped over as she rushed off to meet the fire still blazing. She used enough magic to stop it and when it was finally over, the man who had screamed the entire time sighed his relief and nearly hugged her. Most of his robes were charred ruins.

"Damn, that was close. Those bastards left me down here to die! Can you believe it? After everything I'd done for them… forgive me."

"Do you think the people who you have killed would forgive you?" Amber asked impatiently, her anger flared like the very fires she was extinguishing.

"I… no…"

"Then why the fuck should I?!" Amber yelled as she rushed off. She still had work to do be done and she couldn't be bothered to haul this horrid human being around with her.

It meant nothing anyways, because after a short spell and a blinding explosion of magic, Sevf vanished. Amber shook her head and continued to move.

An arrow met her path as she started up some stairs. It stabbed into the muscle between her shoulder and chest. She gasped as the arrow pierced her skin but pressed onwards, slashing down the enemy in her path who once had a bow before he met Amber's blade. She continued on, arrow and all, deeper into the ruins as the clock ran out.

She moved as quickly as she could up stairs and around tight corners blocked by doors she had to push or slam open. The next time she encountered something of a room, two more mercenaries carrying a warhammer and a battleaxe met her. One of them laughed sadistically. "Heh, this should be fun…" Amber slammed herself into one of the mercenaries before she was struck and shuddered as the mercenary's companion swung his blade right into the very person he was supposed to work with, instead of against. The body was cleaved in two and fell to the floor in a slump as Amber turned to meet the battleaxe. She used the same tactic she had before and stabbed her blade deep into the mercenary as he gasped and clutched at the blade, eventually falling silent and motionless as Amber continued on.

With one more fire extinguished, she was six for six. She didn't know exactly how many left she had but she knew that it there couldn't be too many. Just go further into the ruin and stop fires, along with anyone opposed to that goal.

She saw another fire as she dashed towards a dead end. She sprinted up the stairs that led to an area above the hallway and put out the fire with the spell that didn't seem to do much to her mind. It was less intensive than any other she had cast. As she spotted one more fire, two more mercenaries met her. One with spells and the other with a huge sword he wielded with two hands. Amber chose the man with the sword to attack first and thrust her sword as straight into the man's heart, unknowingly, and pulled it out before he even started to fall to the floor.

"He was my frien-" the second mercenary was forbid from saying anything else as a blade met her as well, a slash across the chest that would prove fatal soon if not instantly.

Amber had no time to feel sorrow for any of the people she had killed as she dashed off to stop what would turn to be the final fire. She summoned ice from her mind into reality and let it stem and stop the flow of fire. As soon as it was over and Amber saw no more fire in sight, nor any clear way to go aside from a long hallway with no sound coming from it, she couldn't help but feel as though she had done it. She had done it!

She smiled and her sword fell from her hand as the adrenaline rush began to cease and the realities of what she had just done kicked in. She had made her way through eight fires and seven mercenaries, all of whom fell before her. She didn't know she had the skill, but blazes, she was impressed.

After she had collected herself, painfully removed the arrow that was stuck into her and healed it without a scar to mark her, and grabbing a few of the scrolls that had been laid down across the table, she continued on and made her way down the hallway, around the corner, up the inclination and into a room with four pillars, a circular hole in the floor and a walkway around the whole thing that was destroyed on one side due to decay. As she moved forwards a bit, she saw the ceiling give way all at once and started to hear a mechanical rhythm show itself, along with the scraping of stone. As it descended, Amber noticed Lishari standing on it once it stopped, Amber stepped onto the metal platform.

"Well, that's what I call good timing. I take it you were successful?" Lishari said with a hint of a smile.

Amber nodded. "I was."

"And what about the fragments, did you save those?"

Amber blinked. She must be talking about the mostly transparent crystals that swirled with energy she had hardly noticed in her mad dash to stop all the fires. "Yes, I saved all of them."

"All of them? Well, call me a pregnant Leoran, you  _ are _ good at what you do!" Lishari cleared the cheer out of her voice and asked another question. "And what about Sevf? Did you find him?"

Amber nodded again. "I did. The mercenaries betrayed him and tossed him into the fire with the rest of the research. When I saved him, he used a spell of some sort to teleport him out of the ruin."

Lishari frowned and gave a short nod. "Damn, that little shit. I was hoping he could tell us why he betrayed us all, but oh well. I guess there's always workarounds." Lishari stopped talking for a few moments before bringing back a small smile across her lips. "So, uh, we never really had time for formalities before all this went to shit. Mind if I get your name?"

"You can call me Amber." The Kiléan said.

"Then I guess I shall. You already know who I am, obviously. So how do you know old Firespark?"

"Well," said Amber, "that's a bit of a long story."

"I've got time."

So Amber delved once again into the adventure she had gone through, detailing her time on the ship, her encounter with the Veiled Woman, the execution of Sirius, her foray into the old Pyrean temple, her time with the two Apothecarii, her meeting with Jespar, what Alfrid told her about Magister Yero, what she found in Yero's home, a summarized version of her journey to Ark, her meeting with Firespark and what he said before finally stopping at when she was tasked with going to Old Rashêngrad.

"Uh-huh… so what you're telling me is that everything, from the swordplay, to the magic, all of it, was learned in only three days?" Lishari said when she was finally permitted to speak.

"Yes, that is what I am saying."

"And that with the visions, you foresaw the death of the two Apothecarii?"

Amber nodded.

"That's… fascinating to say the least."

Amber shrugged. "Guess I'm an anomaly."

Lishari laughed. "You are indeed! Here you are, the mysterious stranger who randomly appeared and, without much fuss, massacred an over half a dozen sellswords who then proceeds to tell me that she's been here less than a week and has already learned more about magic than most Novices do in a whole year. You certainly are full of…" Lishari's smiled vanished into a small frown, "shit."

"Pardon?"

Lishari's eyes flicked back up to Amber and, after realizing what she said, hastily corrected herself. "Oh, not you, I believe you, I just had a thought… but no, that would be impossible… too unlikely…"

"Unlikely is not much of a stranger these days. What is it?"

"Well, I'd like to speak freely, but I'm still under the agreement I signed with the Holy Order. I  _ will _ talk to Constantine, or Magister Firespark in your case, and old Arantheal the Grandmaster about my theory and if I'm correct, then we'll be in a situation to really kick ass! But, you probably won't hear about it until the latter puts you into the picture. Sorry. You  _ are _ welcome to return to the Sun Temple any time you want, though, and I'll make sure you'll be accommodated for. Anyways, are you ready to stop that Fever?"

"Yes, I am." Amber said with some excitement. Now she had a place to stay, with a bunch of magic-knowing geniuses, and was going to be free of Fever for the rest of her life. Things were starting to look up for her.

"All right, let's do this. Don't worry, it won't hurt a bit."

Amber felt her body rise up and off the ground as green magical energy started to swirl around her. Underneath her, Lishari looked at her confidently. She released the magical energy and, after a moment realized something was wrong. "Fuck!"

Amber's last sights was falling to the ground and then, the eternal dark that came with falling unconscious.


	14. Rhythm

"Are you alright? That wasn't on purpose, I swear!" Lishari was standing over Amber with a look of genuine concern on her face.

Amber blinked and rubbed her head as she sat up. It throbbed worse than it did after one of her mind-melting spikes in Arcane Fever. "It's… it's nothing."

"I promise, that wasn't supposed to happen. I mean, the ritual isn't exactly harmless, but you should never feel anything more than a weak tickle at most. But maybe it has something to do with your aura? Like I already said, it's  _ so _ different."

"You're not the first to tell me that, actually. What do you mean by it?" said Amber as she continued to nurse her throbbing brain. Her left side also ached particularly and Amber felt using more magic would only make it worse.

"It's hard to explain. It's somehow… complex. And cold, maybe. But hey. I'm probably just out of practice. It worked, and that's what matters, right?"

Amber grumbled a little bit as she rubbed her head. "Right."

"Your fever will now settle down to an endurable level and maybe even disappear entirely if you're careful. And now, I suggest you return to Constantine. I will get the stones to safety in the meantime. Do you need anything else? If not, then see you later. I have a feeling that we're going to meet again."

Amber groaned as she stood up and nodded a little before wincing as the headache she had got even worse. "Yeah, I'll see you around."

"Good. Speak to you soon."

As Lishari walked off, Amber blinked and pulled the lever on the floor the opposite way of what it had been, causing a surge of energy and the stone floor to go up to the Heartland.

She winced as the sun greeted her but was thankful when the same mechanical rhythm stopped as the movement did. Amber grabbed one of the health potions she had in her bag, looked at them with disdain, pulled off the cork and drank them. They went down rough and she nearly spat them out at the horrid taste, but they were effective to say the least. At least, the one she had that was newer was. The one she had that was more aged tasted worse and had less of an effect. But she felt better and could walk on her own, but she made sure that she was a bit slower and more stiff so she didn't heave up the potion into the nearby bushes.

As she got away from Old Rashêngrad, she felt happy that her fever was mellowed out. Already she was feeling better. The incessant throbbing, a dull feeling, like a being lightly hit with a plate over and over again, had nearly disappeared. She felt… normal, for the first time since that unfortunate night aboard the ship her and Sirius went on. Of course, her situation was anything but normal. Three days, and in that time she had come from a pathetic whelp to a woman who could kill seven trained fighters with nothing more to show for it than an arrow wound that didn't even come with a scar. In that time, she had visited the most holy place on the whole of Vyn and spoken with a master of magic no one but the most highborn and important of individuals on Enderal.

It was a rather long walk back to Ark. Not because of wolves, or the undead, or Red Madness, but simply Amber herself. She was deep in thought and that made her walk slowly. She was still reeling from the events in the old ruin she had emerged from, the emotional loss and confusion that came with losing her friend and anchor, along with Sirius, her friend and anchor before Jespar, and the whole experience she had lived through.

Ark was a rather welcome sight when she saw it, standing tall and proud and untouched by age and weather. The Sun Temple stood above it like a protective guardian guiding a child from danger. That was, once again, her destination. Milbert wasn't at his stall when she walked through the gates of Ark once more but there was no blood nearby, either, so Amber assumed it was fine. She made a quick stop at the bank to drop off the note that unfortunately got a little crumpled, the one that made her four hundred coin richer before she ascended the long walk up the mountain to the summit where the Temple sat.

As she finally reached the peak, one of the massively built Keepers walked past her. He grabbed her arm as she walked past and muttered so that only she could hear. "This is holy ground. You don't belong here,  _ Outlander _ ." He then released her and gave her a shove so that she would stumble forwards a bit. She didn't look back.

"So, finally shed your traditional garb for something less noble?" The woman with the book and stand said as Amber approached.

Amber felt the truth was important, sometimes. Even to bigots. "Yes. Perhaps that's because I'm not noble. You can mark me as 'Amber'."

The thin smile the Keeper, or book-Keeper as Amber had officially dubbed her, vanished and her face went stonelike, as was intended. "Got a last name?"

_ Not one that I want to be associated with. _ "No."

"Alright, I'll just give you a little 'o' next to your name. For 'Outlander'."

"Thanks," Amber said as sarcastically as possible.

The thin smile returned. "No problem."

The gates opened half a minute after and Amber stepped inside quickly, doing her best to avoid the racism behind her. Of course, trying to get away from the lion by walking into the Pride wasn't the idea that aligned best with her wish but it  _ did _ align with her goal.

She avoided all the Keepers within the Sun Temple as if they were all sick and made her way to Firespark as soon as she could. He was looking over old and partially musty books and scrolls when she entered, a little sweaty yet still energetic. The Magister didn't look up from his books and scrolls when she nearly burst through the doors. "Now if it isn't the Prodigy. Well?"

_ Better than Outlander. _ "Well, Lishari's fine but there were… complications in Old Rashêngrad."

"Oh yes, I know. Lushi told me the whole thing while you were taking your time to get back. I hope you enjoyed your stroll." He still didn't look up from his books.

"Uh… right." She waited several seconds in silence and when the Magister looked like he was going to add nothing more to the conversation, Amber turned to walk out the door… ...until she turned right back around. "Uhm, Magister?"

"Hm?" The gruffness, still present in his voice, seemed even rougher than it had been.

Amber cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck. "Could you… could you teach me?"

"Teach you what?" Now he finally turned to look at Amber. The look on his face was a little pleasant but mostly grumpy.

Amber shrugged a little. "Magic, I suppose. I'm cured now, so I think I should start learning more about this gift I've been given. Of sorts. I mean, you don't have to, but if… if you  _ want _ to, I won't say no."

Firespark looked at her with a slightly raised eyebrow and crossed arms until Amber felt ready to simply not exist anymore before he spoke. "Well, no one  _ wants _ to teach anything, but I suppose I shall. If you are going to go through the trouble of requesting, then I suppose I will do so. I  _ am _ a Magister, after all."

Amber smiled brightly and tried to hide the blush embarrassment had formed on her face. "Thank you. ...Uhm, where am I supposed to stay?"

"I can get you lodging in the Novice quarters or you can find one of the inns around Ark."

"The Novice quarters would be more preferable, I suppose. Less walking, you know?" said Amber.

Firespark had the ghost of a smile upon his lips as he looked at Amber. "Good. Oh, right. Lishari told me about what you did back in the old ruin and as payment for saving her, she demanded that you be rewarded. So, you have three options: a sack of gold, a book you can probably learn a lot from, or… uh… forgot the third one. Those your two options."

Amber couldn't help but inwardly shake her head at the memory capacity of her first and new mentor. "I'll take the book."

That was perhaps one of the only times Amber saw him smile in earnest. "Good choice. Now go on and do something else, there'll be no teaching until tomorrow."

Amber nodded and walked off. "Of course, Magister."

Feeling a sense of elation, Amber walked off and picked herself a nice little room for her to stay in within the Novice quarters. A few of the Novices looked at her with a raised eyebrow or murmured amongst themselves but none objected to what Amber was doing. She unloaded her pack, her potions, the coin she had left on her, the scrolls she had gathered and whatever else she had gathered. This was her place now, at least until the Keepers found out and potentially had her kicked out. But, she  _ did _ have the backing of Constantine and possibly - probably - Lishari as well and their voices undoubtedly held some weight.

She sat down on her bed, thinking about something in particular. Could she return to the Infinite Sea? She still didn't have a good name for it, but she felt that 'infinite' was a word that suited it well. She stopped, slowed her heartbeat and breathed steadily and she didn't know fully why, but she touched her forehead with her index and middle finger, yet somehow, when she opened her eyes, she was back. She looked around once more, reveling a little in the sight, and did what she had done last time. And, once again, small stars lit and grew and shone as they pushed away from their stone grooves enough to hover. As she did so, visions of some sort or another flashed in front of her eyes, brought forth by memory. She pictured hands that were not her own wielding swords and magic and using the world to hide from sight and when the memories drifted from the spotlight of her mind she felt she had… learned.

She blinked and had returned. She looked out the window and saw the sun in the same spot it had been when she entered the building, so it seemed time was not a factor in… wherever it was. She still had a good portion of day left and she felt no particular human need cry for attention so she was, in some sort, free. Amber kept her sword with her when she walked out of her room and towards one of the Novices not busy eating or drinking or laughing, since she had a feeling there was a place to train somewhere. Where else would Keepers be trained but the pinnacle of the continent?

A dark blonde Enderalean man was walking along one of the stone paths as Amber approached. He was lost in thought as he nearly bumped into Amber before recognizing that she was there. "Oh, sorry there."

"No problem," Amber said with a little smile, her gaze going everywhere but his eyes. Maybe that was a good thing. "Uhm, do you know where I could train?"

He pointed down at her clothing and said softly, yet firmly, "Yes, but you can't in those clothes. If you're going to train with us, I suggest you also get some robes. I'd speak with one of the Magisters if you've received your Novitiate."

She shook her head, saying she hadn't.

"Then how did you… how did you get in here?" He asked.

Amber could only offer a shrug as her gaze remained fixated on the bridge of his nose. Close enough to the eyes, right? "Well, it certainly had something to do with the Arcane Fever I contracted three days ago. But mainly I just followed the plans of a sellsword who had business with the Order and found myself doing a job for them as well to hinder the fever."

"...Right. Well, if you're currently in employment with them, I suppose it'd be fine to use the training room without the standard attire… If you go down the stairs over there," he pointed to a path the Chronicum, the building she had come out of when she had finished speaking with Firespark, which led down to the amazing and somewhat intimidating view of what seemed to be the whole world before her eyes.

She thanked the novice before moving on and down the small flight of stairs, passing by one glaring Keeper over a golden grate with water spewing from it as it flowed from the bright green grass down to… somewhere. Amber didn't feel where the water went was important enough to dare speak to a Keeper or another novice about. She didn't want to experience any more racism directed to her. She passed through an archway and made her way hesitantly down a wooden set of stairs that seemed far too lopsided and rickety to be safe to anyone. In that moment Amber wondered just how many clumsy Novices and overtired Keepers have fallen over the barrier and down the mountain. After that, she tried not to.

Instead of turning right like she had before to meet the blacksmith, she turned left and found a room titled 'Scuola' by a slab of wood with an iron trim that hung above the door. She let her hand hover over the handle for a few seconds before shaking her head and stepping inside. She almost instantly gathered the attention of every Novice and in the room for roughly half a minute before they all slowly started returning to what they were doing before.

The room was quite big, the ceiling reaching far beyond her arms could ever dream of touching and an outline of wood separated with a thin fenced off centre was quite bare. Two chandeliers made of simple wrought iron with everlasting candles hung high above in the middle of the room, spreading light all over the expanse. On the inside of the fencing, Amber saw rows of test dummies, some plain and simple with straw leaking from their stretched sewing of rough linen and others equipped with short wooden swords, stuck halfway between dagger and shortsword, while wearing wooden bucket helms. There was a table laid out in the middle with weapons and a few books laid across it, two middle-aged and grim men standing tall and proud in white robes in the same style as the Novices. Amber assumed them to be higher rank than the Novices.

She hesitantly walked up to one of the men standing around the table and cleared her throat to draw attention to herself. "Could… could I train here?"

He looked her up and down and said in an authoritative voice, "Where's your uniform?"

"I… I don't think I need one. Magister Firespark said I didn't."

His eyes narrowed further as Amber mentioned the name. "Him, huh? I suppose I'll have to talk to him about it soon. For the meantime, I  _ suppose _ you can train. If you're already let in, might as well treat you like one of us." The complete lack of enthusiasm in his voice was somewhat deflating but she tried not to let it deter her. She uttered a thanks to the man and stepped back.

She chose a dummy, one away from everyone else practicing and drew her sword, trying to ignore everyone else if they were looking at her. A few were, but Amber never noticed. She looked at the dummy, trying to think of how to strike it first. It didn't feel like it would help her. It stood there, looking at her with its nonexistent face and stooped over as it loosely clutched to its barrel lid shield and wooden sword that was no more than a board with a point at the end of it with a simple crossguard. Try as she might, she couldn't find the right step-off to begin her practice and thus sheathed her sword and tried to ignore the few chuckling and giggling at her inability to hit a dumb, nonliving object feigning as an enemy.

Instead, she walked to the other side of the room and stood amongst two Novices practicing with heavily dull weapons made specifically for practicing. They were still made of steel, so they'd sting when you got hit but should never be enough to kill someone. She asked if she could join and, after looking one another, agreed. Amber grabbed herself a practice sword and laid down her sharp one on the table and stood in front of the two true Novices.

They had decided to pick on her specifically, avoiding each other and only attacking her. She found it unfair at first, but after she had adorned her first few bruises, she found it better than the alternative. It was more realistic of a fight, with more than one opponent you had to keep your eye on as you attack. She got better. She learned. She picked up techniques she saw her opponents use and then started using her own. She learned how to properly block with a sword and what attack did what, instead of flailing her sword until her enemy fell over like she felt she had been doing before, even earlier that day. Soon, she was a better fighter than either and both of them combined. She could fight them both back and deal enough damage with no more than a slash or so to her. Still, if she wanted to survive a real fight, even a single slash or stab could spell the end for her, depending on where the blow would land. So, she had to continue practicing.

By the time others noticed the fun it looked like they were having and joined in, adding onto the two teams, the animosity between Amber and the original two novices had swiftly dissipated as all participants picked up valuable skills from each other. There were, of course, those who sided with the Outlander and those who sided with their fellow Enderaleans. Needless to say, the numbers were higher on the nationalist side, standing at about eight against six. The grumpy whitecloaks prevented anyone else from joining either side, content to just leave the number at thirteen novices and one outsider for practice.

While Amber had only been and was content with picking up skills solely about fighting and getting better at it, she noticed that several others in both groups began calling orders, strengthening flanks and diverting novices to where they were needed most. It was interesting, seeing them pick up experience and traits to be a leader and she felt a little pride in knowing that she had been the cause of it. Amber had thought about trying her hand at leading to, but when she thought about it practically, she saw no time in her life where such a skill would come into use on anything larger than a group of three and decided against it. She would learn what she needed to about a sword and be fine with that. No leading armies for her.

The sun was nearly gone behind the western mountains when Amber and many of the other novices called it a night. She certainly didn't feel her best physically, with all her battered limbs, her split lip and the countless bruises that dotted her body, but her heart and soul were exhilarated and joyful. She knew she would be laying in bed regretting most of her decisions on the morrow, but for the moment she felt alive.

Not many people paid attention to her as she walked back to her room within the quarters. She heard mumblings about an outlander, a Kiléan specifically, but most of it was too hushed and she was moving too quickly to pick up on any of it aside from the mention of her most easily recognizable traits. The congenital ones. She pushed open the door and flicked her wrist so it would close behind her as she knelt down in front of her pack to find a book. Not the one she had previously finished, of course, one of the new ones. Specifically, the one on swordplay so she could be even better when she next practiced. She relaxed on her bed and only went to go get food when her stomach would not let her go without any longer as she delved into her book, learning more and more with each sentence her eyes moved across.

It helped that she could picture the moves the book described in her mind and that she already understood and had used a few of the other ones. Proper stance she hadn't learned, however, and spent some of her time sparring with the air, hand clenched on the broomstick that would be used to achieve victory and the elimination of spiderwebs. Even after all the other lights of the Novice quarters went out, Amber still read and learned, part in interest and part in fear of falling back asleep. She didn't want to dream and she always did whenever her eyes closed and her conscious shut off. No matter what, she always dreamed, and it was always horrid. A lot like the one she had had the night Amber and Sirius met the Veiled Woman.

When she had the time, she would look through old books to see if the Veiled Woman has been mentioned or perhaps what was with her vision. She hadn't experienced any since her first day on Enderal, the same day Finn and Carbos met their end at the hands of bandits, but if it happened twice, she didn't think it was impossible to believe that they could continue to happen. She just had to fall into the 'right' situation for them to occur once more.

Time passed quicker than Amber expected. She read through the book, learning more and establishing what she had just learned in the Scuola. The candle by her bed still flickered, yet a hot puddle of liquid wax threatened to extinguish the flame for a while. When it did, it was already morning and the light of dawn took the place of the candle easily enough. She stretched and groaned when she decided it was time to get up and winced immediately afterwards as her bruises struck her like hammers. It didn't take her  _ too _ long to remember that she had healing magic on her side, fortunately, and soon enough the split lip and dark bruises were nothing more than memory.

She walked out of her room and out of the quarters as she sat down on one of the benches and watched a beautiful sunrise glow bright pink that pierced through the fabric-thin clouds and fought back the darkness of night. She could get used to this.


	15. Grandmaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this concludes what I will consider 'Part 1'. There will be a second biweekly upload before hopefully returning to once a week - like it has been for a long time - as I adjust to the new semester of school and make a backlog of chapters while also playing more Enderal in my spare time.  
> Thank you so much for all the support you have been giving this story; It's always my favourite part of the day when I look and see that encouragement for me to continue.

It was a little difficult for Amber to adjust to this new life she found herself in. She was a Novice in all but name, a student to Magister Firespark and actively learning in the arts of swordplay. She was constantly getting better and improving in everything she truly put her mind to. She had only been there for a week and a half but already is started to feel something like home. In a largely communal sense, but still something resembling 'home'. The Novices knew her and the Keepers tolerated her along with some of the other Magisters. Amber attended the classes she felt she needed and learned nearly everything that was taught.

Today was a very special day, as her sword was finally done. She knew this because the blacksmith's assistant had run up to specifically send her the message. She followed the assistant down the wooden steps and through the archway, careful not to get her bright red robes all wet, and went into the pit where weapons came from.

It still burned Amber's eyes and make them water when she walked in but she forced her way through the heat regardless. She already began to sweat. "So I heard my sword is done?" Amber coughed.

The blacksmith, her eyes as steely as the metal she worked, nodded. "It is. A fine blade with everything you wanted. Long, slender, hard as stone, fine make. One of my best pieces."

"How much do I owe you?" Amber asked. She still had roughly four-hundred and fifty pennies if memory served her but she wasn't sure.

The blacksmith scratched at an ear and blinked fiercely a few times before looking at Amber once again. "As much as was promised. Four hundred pennies. Anything more owed by the Prodigy would seem like robbery." Right, that was the new nickname Amber had acquired since she started living in the Sun Temple. She was full of promise, so the nickname seemed to fit.

Amber nodded and signed the slip of parchment that the blacksmith slid her way and let the woman walk to the back of the room and come back carrying her sword. It was a fine thing like she had asked for. The blade of it was sharp and looked like it could carry an edge like obsidian and it reached three and a half feet from the hilt. The blade had a ridge in the middle of it that nearly extended to the tip but stopped short. The crossbar was as sturdy as you would expect and slanted downwards towards the pommel, allowing blades to simply slide off. The pommel was a finely shaped octagon with two small diamonds in the centre on either side.

The thing that surprised Amber the most about the sword was the fact of how light it was. It felt no more than eight pounds or so and she knew she could swing it with ease simply by holding it and comparing it to other blades she had used. Now this was a sword made for a warrior and one who would undoubtedly do good in the world. She hoped that individual was her and not the individual the sword would pass to when she died. The sheath was simple as well, dark leather with a few metal bands wrapped around it so it would keep its shape.

She was still marveling at her sword when she left the room and walked down to the Scuola to try it out. There was a test dummy in a secluded spot, somewhere no one would be able to watch her and she hit it with the blade she had just gained. The blade nearly cleaved the wooden dummy's head in half in that one move and was removed almost as easily. When she sheathed it again, it felt like nothing more than a dagger at her side. Whatever magic the blade had been infused with to get such properties she didn't know, but she was very thankful that it was done.

When she walked out of the Scuola and off to Firespark, she was surprised when he only smiled and shook his head from his tome. "No class today, Ember."

Amber had stopped trying to correct him a long time ago. 'Ember' was as close as he was going to get. Still, the news that she wouldn't be attending Firespark's somewhat private class was a surprise to her. "How come?"

"Because it seems your training and living here has reached word of the Grandmaster. He wishes to speak to you." Firespark said a little gruffly. Amber knew he lacked some social graces, to be put lightly.

She felt her heart sink a little when the words processed. The Grandmaster wished to speak to her, and probably get rid of her. Sure, she had acquired the name 'Prodigy' during her time in the Sun Temple, but it was one of more scorn than praise. "Is… is it bad?"

"Is what bad?" Firespark grumbled.

"What the Grandmaster has to say?"

"You'll just have to go and see. Do not delay, for he has little time that he can waste." He said as he saw Amber out of his room, closing and locking the door as he returned to his chambers.

Amber stood there for a minute or so, clutching the books she was going to ponder over and the parchment she would write down notes in so she could do more research on the subjects she felt she needed to know. She had come to understand a lot in the past week and a half. About strategy, about fighting, about local customs and dialects, locations and legends, and about magic. The Sun Temple and spending time in it had improved her life tenfold and if she walked off to see the Grandmaster, there was a chance that all that would be thrown away.

Still, it was nothing short of an order and if she did not listen to it, she would be thrown out regardless. So she had to. She walked back to her room and placed down her unused books and scrolls and ink bottles, quills, and parchment. She gave her room potentially a second-to-last look and stepped out of it, closing the door gently and walking off to the Emporium.

She had never set foot inside the building. It was never one that she had any particular use for. The Scuola, showers, Chronicum and living quarters were all on the western side of the Sun Temple. As such, the buildings on the eastern side never seemed to be that important. She knew what they were and who they housed and what purpose they served, of course, but it only gave her further reason to stay away. It was for the most important individuals, like the Grandmaster, the some of the Magisters and the Keepers, the bodyguards, soldiers and small standing army that served the Grandmaster and the rest of the Order.

When she walked inside the Emporium, the only thing she could see was a place so lavish, it could have belonged to the highest ranking King in the world. In some respects, it had, as the Sun Temple was where the Lightborn had resided during their ten thousand year reign as living Gods to the world. There was a single Novice in the room she had entered, sweeping away at the floors. The room was open and grand with a large indoor area dedicated to a garden of impressive plants that grew nearly as tall as the steps that surrounded it. Two fine stone pillars rose up from the ground and curved out as it seemed to form the ceiling. The stairs climbed to roughly half the height of the room and Amber felt incredibly tiny in comparison.

She walked up the stairs and began to hear voices from inside the room she was supposed to enter. She had a general rundown of the whole layout of the buildings but this was her first time actually inside the Emporium.

"This is a suspicion, Tealor. Sending an entire division across the sea on the suspicion is madness!" A woman was standing next to Tealor across a massive table lit by hundreds of candles.

Tealor answered in response. Amber walked in slowly and, after not being told to leave, stayed but only near the other side of the table. "We need to find out who sent the mercenaries." His voice was deep and rich, with a hint of gravel yet smooth throughout. A fine voice, one that was seeming of royalty. In some sense, Tealor Arantheal _was_ royalty. "This Peghast said they were after the Signet Stone and if they succeed in getting it next time, then the Black Guardian alone knows how to stop the Cycle."

"The Cycle!" the woman shook her head and scoffed. "Listening to you talk almost makes me forget that all this fuss here is merely based on some bad dreams you and your Nerhimese friends had."

"The threat is real. Deny it all you want, but deep inside, you feel it as much as I do," said Tealor.

The woman, dressed in fine armour with her ebony hair tied into a bun that sat neatly on the top of her head, almost sighed. "Tealor, you… you are a commander. And a commander doesn't care about 'feelings', but about facts. You have made this mistake before, Tealor, back on Qyra. And we all know-"

"Natara, the mission will happen. I am sorry." Tealor said as a final statement. He continued to ponder over some old book he had laid out where he stood.

The woman, Natara, looked over and saw Amber over at the other side of the table and said nothing more than "You have a visitor," before walking out and past Amber, giving her an unfriendly look. Amber didn't expect any.

Tealor looked up and met Amber's eye, calling her over with a brief movement of his hand. She obeyed and mentally prepared a speech on why she should continue to stay at the Sun Temple. But, once she got close enough, Tealor spoke before Amber could. "So, you are the 'prodigy' everyone has been murmuring about… Interesting. I am Tealor Arantheal, son of Loreus the First and Grandmaster of the Order and I am honoured to meet you. What is your name?"

His response was… not the one Amber was expecting. It took her a second to realize the question and did nothing more than routine. "My name is Amber."

"Do you have a last name?"

Amber shook her head. "No."

"So you are baseborn, then?"

Amber nodded this time. "Yes, I am." She paused for a moment and then cleared her throat. "You, uh, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes… and I will come straight to the point. You are here because I believe you are special. Humanity faces a threat that needs to be stopped and to do achieve this, you are indispensable." Tealor spoke confidently and smoothly. Something Amber seemed somewhat incapable of doing.

"You're talking about the Red Madness, aren't you?" Amber asked. Everyone knew of it and so did Amber. She had done information seeking with Jespar because of it. It was, in a sense, the very reason she was standing in front of Tealor at all. Funny how the world works.

"Among other things, yes. I do not need to explain to you that the present situation on Vyn is chaotic… the living dead, the wars, common people who are losing their minds - to name only the most obvious. What most people are not aware of is the connection of these events. You, however, have encountered it, as I have."

Amber paused for a moment, thinking about what the connection could have been. "And what would that be?" Her mind found no answer.

"The visions, and I know where they come from as well. I will explain everything to you soon enough. What it means, who we are, and what your part will be in the coming months. Come, follow me." Tealor began walking off to seemingly exit the extravagant dining room and out into the pillared room just outside it. "Maybe you already know who I am. My entire life, I have served the Gods who once ruled Vyn, until their death two years ago."

Amber nearly stopped walking. The Gods _were_ dead. Not hidden away from the public eye, not given up on their endeavor as Gods. Dead. But how does a God die? If it was not a God at all.

Tealor continued. "What you probably do not know is that they died at the hands of my son, Narathzul. He despised the Lightborn because he believed that they robbed mankind of their right to freedom, so he strove to overthrow them. He found followers, formed an army and declared war on them - and at the same time, me, as I was a servant of the Lightborn. It all ended thirty years ago in a battle with Narathzul won. He killed every last survivor except for me and locked me in a dungeon on Nehrim… I still do not know why he spared my life when he ended so many others."

Amber had a question dancing on her tongue and she decided now as the time to say it. "If Narathzul was your son, shouldn't he have been more… I don't know, 'devoted' to the Gods?"

"There were certain… circumstances which favoured the development. But it is a long story and not one to be told today." Tealor said. "Anyways, as you can tell, I escaped my imprisonment after more than thirty years, when the death of the Gods made the magic around the prison disappear. And during my escape into the northern mountains of Nehrim, I also had them for the first time in my life: the dreams."

They walked outside the Emporium and down one of the stone pathways that stood in the middle of the fields of low and bright green grass and the artificial rivers that flowed through the centre of the Temple. "I always saw the same, terrible light, heard screaming, and felt like I was burning up from the inside. And above it all, like a veil, there was the knowledge of… imminence. At first, of course, I dismissed these dreams as the delusions of a man close to death. So I concentrated on trying to make it out of the mountains somehow. Two days after my escape I was completely exhausted, and I would have died if a former acolyte of my son had not found me."

"The man followed your son? Did he not recognize you?" Amber asked.

"No, he did not. He brought me back to their headquarters instead, an old monastery in the mountains. The others were aware of my identity, of that I am sure, but for whatever reason, they did not kill me nor throw me out. Maybe it was because the death of the Lightborn made me insignificant… I do not know." He broke himself out of a small reverie he had fallen into and continued walking. "Still, even after my recovery, the dreams continued. At first, I doubted my sanity, but after some time I told the leaders of the mages, Constantine, about them. And he said something I had never expected: I was not alone. He as well as many other magically gifted individuals on Vyn dreamed the same dreams. And the more we talked about them, the stronger our suspicions grew, which has now turned out to be the truth. The dreams. They come from the same place. They are a shared memory."

Amber stopped for a second, as Tealor did. "You mean these dreams… they, they come from some sort of… collective mind?"

"A collective subconscious, yes. I know that you can feel it too, and probably far more intensely than we do. But like you, back then, we were not able to make sense of the images, so we went looking for answers: in the remains of the civilization that came before us, the Pyreans."

"So that explains the expeditions out in the middle of nowhere. What did you find, if I may ask?"

"You may, and we found three things. First: there were many civilizations like ours before us, and before the Pyreans. Maybe hundreds, maybe thousands. Second: the history of the civilizations all unfold and still unfolds according to a pattern. They emerge, they blossom, and at some point - at the apex of their existence - they simply disappear, without any trace. And third: everything that has happened in the past years, and which is still happening, indicates that this disappearance lies ahead of us. We are part of an eternal loop, a cycle… and our cycle is approaching its end."

They walked up the stairs at the very end of the Sun Temple, as far away from the gate as possible, and leaned against the edge of the world, looking out at the rain dripping down from the heavens onto the world below.

"You mean that the end of the humanity lies ahead?" Amber couldn't help but be a little blown away. People had predicted the end of the world before, but if the Grandmaster of the most important order in the world believed it, as well as people like Constantine, could it really be true?

"Yes, I do. At first, we considered it absurd, as you probably have at this moment. But there came a time when we simply could not deny it any longer. We began to study the history of the Pyreans more intensely, and the parallels were extraordinary. In its early days, the Pyrean Empire was split up by a disaster, just like Vyn was split up by the Starfall after the reign of the Aeterna. Also, the Pyreans had a ruling caste who declared themselves Gods after the catastrophe: the two castes of the Sunpriest. They, too, ruled until they were overthrown. This overthrowing was followed by an outbreak of wars and chaos. And then, just like that, the Pyreans ceased to exist. They knew it was imminent, but they could not prevent it. They called this event the 'Cleansing'."

Amber uttered a 'blazes' as she continued to look down onto the rest of the world. The rain was slowly seeping through her clothes and dragging her hair down but she didn't care. Not then. "The Pyreans knew about the threat? Why didn't they do anything about it?"

"They tried, but ultimately failed. Who knows why. Maybe they found out too late, or maybe they were too weak." said Tealor.

Amber frowned and thought about it. Maybe that was the case. She didn't know and neither did Tealor. "So, how does this involve me? Where do my visions and dreams and powers come from?"

"Well, this is the reason we need your help. Not only episodes of history recur within every Cycle. Characters do as well."

"Characters 'recur'? Like, they happen again and again in each civilization?" It sort of made sense, but how does the same person who does the same thing occur in subsequent civilizations?

"Yes. The Pyreans called them the Emissaries. They emerge very shortly before the Cleansing occurs, like a law of nature, an answer to the Red Madness. And I am one of them. As are you. I take on the role of the 'Ruler', you take on the role of the 'Prophet'. Or Prophetess in this case."

Amber felt that this was not how the day was supposed to go at all. In one fell swoop, she had learned about the destruction of the Pyreans, every civilization before it, and the impending doom of humanity. She felt a little lightheaded. "I'm supposed to be a 'prophet'? Like those who predict the future?"

"It's nothing more than a description, so you can call it what you will. But without doubt, it is the truth. Your story matches the descriptions perfectly."

So it was some sort of destiny that Sirius died? It was intended, so that she would be dubbed the Prophetess? It sounded like she was in a fantasy story, trapped in the role of the hero destined to save the world. She _did_ like the sound of it, though. It was a way to get the honour and prestige and adoration she had always sought. She could be a hero… "So, if I play this role, does that mean we could be… controlled, perhaps? Forced to undergo the same actions that our previous renditions have?"

"No. As I have already said, the Emissaries simply appear at the beginning of the end, like pieces on a chessboard. We are determined by our skills… how and to what ends we use them is our choice."

Amber nodded. That, too, made sense. "So what defines me as this 'Prophetess'?"

"On the one hand, your power. You carry the potential to master any skill within a fraction of the usual time needed. I assume you have already realized this." She did. It was odd to know that she was already better than everyone else at swordplay, even a few of the Keepers who had been willing to spar with her. "On the other hand, your ability to look into the past. And therefore, into the future."

"What do you mean?" Amber had assumed she looked into the future back with Finn and Carbos, but… is that actually one of her abilities? To see into both the past and the future and somehow… interact with it? Or was she nothing more than a bystander?

"Your visions are a window into the past. And as every Cycle is based on the same events, it is a window into the future as well." Then… that means that Finn and Carbos were intended to die. As their likeness had in every other Cycle before it… "You can feel the 'thread' this world is woven with, and because of that, you can see things that have happened, and thus, will happen again. This gift makes you indispensable to us, and it is why I want your help."

So she really could be that hero that she always dreamed about… that everyone dreamed about, at some point in their life. She could live a fantasy, in some sense. "I will help in any way that I can."

That was the first time she saw a hint of a smile from Tealor. "Good. However, there is one more thing before the actual work begins. I want you to join our Order, and to do so, you have to pass a test. A trial."

In a single stroke, she would be both a hero, and one of the most important people on Vyn even if she wasn't the former. There was no way she could pass it up. "Okay, what type of trial is it?"

"The same that all Novices undergo in order to exalted to the role of Keeper. Only the best students of the Scuola are allowed admission, and even though you have not been a novice, you are still one of the best amongst us, and I want you to take it as well. At this very moment, two novices are ready and on their way to the testing grounds. I have already informed them about your arrival."

"How did you know I'd agree? What if I had said no?"

"It has never happened any other time in history, and I doubted it would happen this time. Anyways, you will go be going to the border of the Heartland, near the Whisperwood. They will be waiting for you there. Take the Myrad, talk to Signet Master Bartarr and hand him this package. And then follow his orders." He placed a delicate box in Amber's hands and continued to look out onto the world. "Oh and one more thing, it might be self-evident, but be sure to not mention that the Lightborn are dead to anyone. I do not believe you can do much harm, but the worst is that Path-abiding citizens may consider you a heretic. After the Cycle is ended, we will discuss on how to deliver the news to the public, but not now, that is for sure. The world is full of enough chaos, we don't need more. Now leave, the sooner we can dispense of this formality, the better."

And just like that, Amber had a new quest and life ahead of her. One she would make sure led her to victory.


	16. Momentous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the extra week delay on this chapter. Hopefully won't happen again. Bi-weekly schedule to be maintained until further notice. Further apologies to all those this affects negatively.

Today was perhaps the most important day of her life. Or perhaps it was only the one she felt the happiest thinking about. Today, she would be exalted into the Order and be known as a Keeper, instead of a Novice. She could finally shed her old red robes and get new ones. But it was more than that, far, far more. It was what made the past years of her life worth it, the diligence and determination to continue despite being the proverbial black sheep of the bunch.

Signet Leader  Jorek Bartarr read a scroll he had just received and groaned, though it was muted. "That's just great…"

"What is it, Signet Leader?" She asked. There was a mix of anxiety, excitement, and thrill in the pit of her stomach, making for an uncomfortable and just barely tolerable sensation.

Jorek looked at her with his eyes stone cold. "There's been a change of plans. We will be waiting by the Myrad tower for… however long it takes for her to show up."

"Her? Who?" Dunwar, the other Novice on the test to become a Keeper asked. She noticed the small look of resentment that he shot her, if only for half a second.

"A woman known as 'the Prodigy'. I'm sure you've heard rumours of her, as I have." Jorek kicked some of the dirt with his boot, his red cape fluttering behind him in the light breeze.

She knew who the Prodigy was. An outcast, like her, unwanted and yet found her way to the Sun Temple all the same. She had heard the rumours too, about how she had taken down at least half a dozen well armed mercenaries all by herself in Old Rashêngrad, saving the project from failure. She also heard the rumours of how she was taught almost solely by Magister Firespark and that she seemed like she had been pondering over old books and musty scrolls for over half a century yet had only done so for a week and a half. She was something different… unique… like her.

She, unlike her companion Dunwar, was actually rather excited to meet her. She did her best not to show it, however, as Jorek didn't seem any bit pleased to know she would be coming along. "What for, Bartarr?"

Jorek wrinkled his nose and made a face. "She has the honour of undertaking the trial, just like you two. She is intended to become a Keeper."

The look on Dunwar's face was, for the most part, rather priceless. "Wh… what? Why?! She's not even a Novice!"

"Grandmaster's orders. She's also apparently got a package for me. Great… Come on, to the bridge. There, we'll spend however long we have to waiting for the Prodigy to show up or the Grandmaster will have my hide." Jorek looked even less pleased than Dunwar, if such a thing was possible.

They all walked to the bridge, her at the back of course, because people like Dunwar always saw themselves as some sort of 'Chosen One' destined to live a fantastic life. She had to fight for her right to stand here while Dunwar had gotten it easily, but that didn't mean she resented him for it.

It took a while for the Prodigy to get there. A long while, honestly. She had already recited all the verses she knew by heart twice and sat on a stone by the bridge sharpening her blade. It was a clear day, yet a breeze blew up from the south. If she sat there long enough, she swore she could taste the slightest hint of salt in the air. A few clouds drifted by, uninterested in the affairs of the land below. It was a little after noon when the Prodigy finally showed herself, a slight smile on her face and her hands resting easily at her side. 

She was close enough that she could overhear the Prodigy's conversation with Signet Leader Jorek. "Uhm, hi. Apologies I was late. You're Jorek Bartarr, right?"

Jorek sighed and nodded. "And you must be the Prodigy. I was expecting something else."

She could see the Prodigy's expression falter. "Like what?"

"Doesn't matter. Do you have the package the Grandmaster gave you?" Jorek said, his expression dead. It was rather unlike him.

The Prodigy nodded and handed it over, after grabbing it from a designated slot on her belt. From where she saw, she could see the Prodigy had her sword, several scrolls, a few potions of healing and another scroll with no markings on it at all. A map, most likely. At least the Prodigy carried herself well. Her face, however, was obscured by Jorek standing in front of her. "So, I guess I'll be taking the trial to become a Keeper, now?"

"Yes. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Our novices have trained for years for this trial and as much as I respect the Grandmaster, I think this is naive and he can make some questionable decisions." said Jorek. "In other words, this will be dangerous. Be aware of that."

"Well, the way the Grandmaster put it, I don't seem to have much choice if we all want to keep living." The Prodigy said a little nervously. What was she talking about?

"How  _ selfless _ of you. But as you wish." As he skimmed over what the package contained, he said something more to himself than anyone else. "It seems I have the extraordinary honour of exalting our very first Pathless in the history of the Order, to the rank of Keeper. Oh, how the others will envy me…" He groaned and pointed his thumb behind him. "Go and meet your new comrades, I have to go prepare something."

She got to see the Prodigy in full now. She was not exactly what she was expecting. From what the rumours had made her out to be, she was at least six feet tall, wielded a sword that could cleave a man in two, had rippling muscles and a tall, proud, and brave way of standing.

The Prodigy was none of those. She was actually quite short, perhaps five feet and four inches in height, had a thin yet fine sword at her side, wore bright red robes like Dunwar and herself, was actually very lean and stood normally. She had an oval face, her chin small and complementing her thin appearance. She had high cheekbones, bright autumn eyes and rich red-amber hair that reached down to her neck, yet it never seemed it wanted to. A small straight nose sat in the middle of her face. Perhaps the oddest thing about her, though, was that her skin was actually rather dark compared to the majority of people on Enderal. Not dark enough to think she was from Qyra, but certainly from Kilé or Nehrim, perhaps. Explains why she had heard the Prodigy also referred to as 'Outlander' a few times. If she was asked to come up with single words to describe the Prodigy, a few came to mind. Cute. Unintimidating. Respectable. Among others, of course. If the rumours about her were true, then she was going to be a comrade to a very powerful and skilled individual.

The Prodigy first walked up to Dunwar and said a small little hello. She had a nice voice along with it, high yet still pleasant to listen to. Of course, the reply she got was anything but friendly.

"I don't want to hear it," Dunwar said critically.

The Prodigy paused for a moment. "I beg your pardon?"

"Your prattling. I don't want to hear it. Just piss off." said Dunwar. He was never known to be particularly kind.

"What's got you bothered?" asked the Prodigy. She was persistent, she had to give her that.

"You have to ask? This country is going downhill and you are living proof of it, my friend. First: Nehrimese wild mages are allowed to walk along holy temple grounds as if it were some kind of brothel. Then mercenaries are hired, and now you - an outlander, a  _ Pathless _ \- are able to be initiated into the Sigils of the Holy Order. We've trained years to stand here, and until now I thought that this country respected its traditions. That's my problem! Now get out of my sight."

"I'm sorry you think that I hope I can prove useful to the Order." The Prodigy said and walked away from Dunwar and over to her. She continued sharpening her blade, a little more vigorously at that point. "Uh, hi." The Prodigy said, a little warier than before but still optimistic.

"Hi," she said back. "So you're the Prodigy?"

"I've been called that, yes. But, please, call me 'Amber.' Sounds less formal and awkward. " She smiled a little. It was welcoming, if a bit shy.

_ Amber… just like her eyes. A fitting name. _ "I agree. I am Calia Sakaresh. It is nice to meet you. I know the others aren't all that happy to see you, though." She let out a sound that almost resembled a very brief chuckle and sucked in a breath. "I've heard rumours about you."

"Most people in the Sun Temple have. It's sort of nice to have that exposure, but I'm not sure if I want all of it," said Amber. "Still feel like an outsider, though."

Calia nodded. She knew that feeling all too well. "You know, what you did in the old Pyrean ruin is nothing short of amazing. You fought off all those mercenaries all on your own! You have my respect for that. If I may ask, how many did you have to fight?"

"Seven, if I counted correctly. Didn't like killing them though. A necessary evil, I suppose. Didn't even save the ones who needed the most help." Amber said, looking down into the grass.

"Still, you tried, and that's what really counts. But it gets me thinking about what exactly those mercenaries were trying to achieve. Someone bold enough to do such a thing against the Order must be incredibly powerful or incredibly naive." Calia was going to say more but Jorek interrupted them.

"Enough chattering? Good. Now come close and take these potions. You'll need them for the trial. We'll be going into the Whisperwood and since you're all magically gifted, you'll get a little dizzy from all the spores but it should be fine. Now come on, we've got a trial to do. Time to make history." His cape swished behind him in a way that gave him a much more heroic look than his personality contained.

Amber was one of the first to cross the bridge, with Calia staying behind. She didn't fully know why, but she liked Calia. She had a rather pretty tattoo on her face, swirling and covering her cheek, but it was something else. Perhaps her voice, perhaps her stance, perhaps it was something else entirely. But she liked her, she seemed a good friend. Maybe it was all because of the rude greeting from the other novice Amber hadn't even learned the name of.

As she crossed the bridge, she felt a little dizzy. It was nothing to worry about, as Jorek said, but it grew and grew in intensity and when it seemed nearly too much, her whole world practically stopped. Her vision hazed and she started to hear voices. Jorek's voice, in particular. "This is all your fault… Caorek would have… the city… I did what… was right… Never meant to… anyone."

And just like that, it faded. Amber blinked a few times and stood still, looking around her and trying to make sense of the vision she had just had. She saw into the future if Tealor was to be believed. No way Jorek existed in previous generations, right? Caorek… who in the name of the Guardian was he? She didn't like what the few words she gathered entailed. It didn't bode well for the future, but she would continue on for now at least. She had a mission to do.

"Uh, Signet Leader?" Amber asked. Calia wondered what had happened.

Jorek turned around with a scowl on his face. "What is it?" His voice was filled with impatience.

"I had another vision," said Amber, confidently.

"Oh did you now? What did you foresee? A horde of naked Skarrag women charging us from amongst the trees?" Jorek retorted.

"No, it was-"

"Look, I know you're impressive and special but I don't believe in your little visions. If you're so confident in them, then talk with Tealor about it. He's alway been fascinated with that sort of thing. Now let's press on."

Amber stood her ground. "But it involved you." Jorek stopped and looked at her. "I heard your voice there, something about a man named Caorek doing… something to the city. Ark, I think. Attacking it, maybe? The words weren't all that clear, but your voice was there undeniably."

Jorek's eyes narrowed as he looked at Amber for a few more moments before turning around. "Let's continue," he said gruffly.

Amber stood defiantly for a few more moments before finally falling back in line. Calia decided to believe her, though. Amber had no reason to lie, especially about something as dark as an attack on Ark.

As they walked further and further into the Whisperwood, the trees and their bright green leaves faded and died, the world lost it's summer colours and looked like winter without snow. Tall glowing trees started to sparkle in the distance and a dark and gloomy mist spread throughout the forest. Calia started feeling a little dizzy, due to the spores as Jorek had said she would. "So this is the Whisperwood… I've read stories about it, but never actually seen it in person."

"Enderal's truly a diverse place..." Amber said when no one else would speak up. Calia felt a little better someone had responded.

Dunwar decided it was his time to shine. "Poor thing… my brothers and I have been to the border countless times and seen it all too often. But I suppose you know everything about the Undercity's ratways, don't you?"

Calia didn't respond to that one, nor did anyone else. She ground her teeth, despite her lack of words.

They came to a crossroads soon enough and pushed on through it after a pussbeetle decided to try and make a meal of the four of them. Amber was the first to attack it and killed as she dug her sword into the dirt beneath the creature, right through the head. As she pulled the blade out, she walked over to Dunwar and tried to wipe off the dead bug on him before he threatened use of magic. She chuckled and excused herself for a few minutes as she walked off into the wilderness. When she returned, her sword was clean and her smile was less intense as before, yet present.

They came across a rather dense set of tall shrubs and thin trees that nearly blocked the path they were following. When they got to the other side, they saw something in the distance. It looked like a man, covered in crimson, stabbing something into a box. "Wait, do you see that?" Jorek asked the group.

"Yes, it looks like a man. What's he doing?" Calia answered.

"Who cares? He's probably just a traveler." Dunwar replied.

"Then why is he simply standing in the middle of the road? Aren't travellers supposed to, I don't know,  _ travel _ ?" Amber said. Calia caught a glimpse of the glare Dunwar shot at the Prodigy. She couldn't help but smile a little.

"He shouldn't be here, regardless. No merchant in their right mind would voluntarily travel through the Whispering Forest… We'll go take a look at him; stay ready." Jorek said at last, his hand falling to his sword.

As they got close enough, the party saw that the box contained a body within it, and the crimson was blood that has soaked and stained the stones of the road and the hands and clothes of the man with a pickaxe. He continuously drove it into the body within the coffin, uncaring of the spurts of blood that shot out every time he did so. "She's with me now. Forever."

Calia held a hand over her mouth. "Kirash!"

Jorek drew his sword. "What the… You there! Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"She's with me now, forever," the man replied.

"What are you, deaf?! Identify yourself!"

Calia got a closer look at him, as Amber did and they both saw the same thing. The man's eyes were glowing bright red, shining like two midnight moons in his eyes. "Master… his eyes… this is the Red Madness."

"Shit… of course," Jorek said after a second of thought. He got a little closer to the man. "You will put that pickaxe down right now, mysir. And then get on your knees."

The man stopped then and directly addressed Jorek, eyes blazing like the sun. "She wanted to leave, don't you understand?" There was emotion in his voice, yet it seemed… overexaggerated. Unreal, in a sense. "She wanted to leave me, just like that."

Dunwar brought magic to his hands and began casting a spell towards the man. "This is disgusting!"

The man ignored him. "But now she will stay. She promised, and-" his sentence was cut short as a bolt of lightning struck him and shook the earth around him. The body sizzled and fried and all Calia could smell was a mix of decayed and fried flesh. Amber looked a little pale.

When the loud boom was over and everyone's hearing returned, Jorek sheathed his sword. "By the Righteous Path… have you lost your mind?" He pointed an accusing finger at Dunwar.

"I could ask you the same thing, damn it! Did you forget what Magister Yero did to the novices in the Sun Temple? This man was dangerous and could have attacked us at any moment!" Dunwar said in defense.

Jorek scoffed. "Oh, really? Malphas protect us from your cunning! But did the thought ever cross your mind that one needs to understand a disease in order to heal it?! And that some Apothecarii might have given their left hand for a living patient?"

Dunwar took a small step back. "You're… you're not being fair, Master. I… I was only protecting us."

"Like hell you did! You behaved like an idiot and not for the first time! The other Masters might have ignored due to your 'religious commitment' and your bloodline, I get that. But if something like this ever happens again, you will be suspended from the rites and will spend the rest of your life polishing prayer banks in the Sanctum. Do I make myself clear?"

Calia stepped in. Despite his attitude, he had his reasons behind it and they were rather understandable. "He really  _ was _ trying to protect us, Master. Maybe-"

"Do I make myself  _ clear _ ?" Jorek said in finality.

Dunwar sucked in a breath and nodded. "You do, Master. I beg forgiveness for my offense."

Jorek breathed in deeply and exhaled loudly. "Granted. Now let's push on, we will have to take care of the body after the ritual."

Amber started following Jorek at a slower pace than usual and Dunwar and Calia stayed behind. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Just shut it," Dunwar said as he rushed off to meet up with Master Jorek.

Calia looked over to see Amber and saw she was rather stone-faced about the whole situation that had just unfolded, aside from the actual part involving the bodies. She walked over to Amber and the Kiléan muttered, "He can be a little intense, can't he?" so only Calia could hear.

"Who, Dunwar or Master Jorek?"

She made a face that matched the words she said. "Both, really. Jorek moreso, I think. I have a bad feeling about him."

"Because of the vision?" Calia asked. She had overheard the whole conversation a few hours ago, of course. By now, the mist was long gone and the clouds started to show the deep blue of twilight in the rifts and divides between them.

Amber gave a little nod. "Mhm. It doesn't bode well."

As much as Calia wanted to believe Amber, there was a sense of blind faith in it that she didn't want to risk believing too heavily in. "For all our sakes, I hope it's false."

"Me too."

Soon enough, they came across a large clearing with old structures flowing with violet magic in large bonfires that gave little light. It still looked as gloomy as ever, and the fact that the moon was shrouded in cloud didn't make the situation better. The grass was tall and uncut but there was not a hint of anything else within the clearing involving nature. All dark, black stone and rough, coarse grass that wanted to tangle around the party's feet and trip them.

There was a large set of stairs at the end of the clearing, where the rest of the structure was. It too was made with dark black stone and what looked to be a stone coffin or altar sat in the middle of it, in rather clear view. Calia's gut didn't agree with the place, and Amber looked a little uneasy too. Dunwar kept his emotions hidden and buried.

"Here it is, the First Foothold. This is where Malphas' vassals erected their first camp, so behave yourselves accordingly. You too, 'prodigy'." Jorek said. They all started walking up the steps, with Calia being the one in the back. She didn't mind, as it was petty to be mad about such things. Her stomach still did not agree with her as she stepped up over the altar, however. Jorek stood in front of all three of them, Calia off to the left of Jorek, Amber in the middle, and Dunwar taking the right. Jorek ground his teeth together to look for a place to begin. Eventually, he took in a deep breath and sighed, looking between the three of them. "There's something I need to tell you, before we go through with this. Something very important. The rumours about the death of the Lightborn… they're true."

"What?" Dunwar said in shock. Calia was, too, stunned but said nothing. She looked over at Amber and saw her expression which was, entirely passive, as if she knew already.

"The Gods died. They fell two winters ago, beneath the sword of an unknown traveler. We… that is, the Order, have known about this for quite some time now, but haven't told the common people yet. But since the…  _ three _ of you intend to take the trial, there is no way to disguise the truth any longer."

"But, how can a God die?" Calia asked.

Amber mumbled something that sounded like, "Because they weren't true Gods," but Calia wasn't sure.

Jorek didn't hear it. "There was a prophecy about as old as the Lightborn themselves, in which there was talk of a 'Shadow God' who would end the era of the Gods. And… it came true. I am sorry."

"You're 'sorry'?" Dunwar asked mockingly. "You're telling that the gods have been killed and that you are 'sorry'? What's next? Tomorrow, the sun will stop shining? Tell us that this is a test, Master. It is, isn't it? A test of our faith?"

Jorek shook his head. "No, the Lightborn are truly dead. But, hard as it may be to accept, we cannot afford to fall victim to-"

Dunwar interrupted. "We? Who the fuck is 'we'? The Order of the Gods, Malphas' Order, was created to protect the Lightborn. And if what you're saying… this blasphemy is true, then we're meaningless. We've failed our duty. Don't you see that? Oh by the Black Guardian, I… I just can't believe it."

" 'And though I shan't be seen, thou shalt live by my virtue.' Third Revelation, verse one-thirty-seven." Calia spoke, "I know it's hard, Dunwar, but if this is true, we have to show strength and keep on believing in what the Lightborn stood for, which is the idea of peace and-"

"Oh, just shut your mouth, wench! If anything, you lowborn scum are living proof of just how far the Order has fallen! You and the Kiléan whore both! Do you really think I don't know about the village? You're a damned witch and if this were the Old Times, you would have been crucified a long time ago!"

"You don't mean that, Dunwar."

Amber let her hand fall to her sword, and that was the first time Calia noticed she showed emotion through the whole time they had been standing in the First Foothold. She could see anger in her eyes, but when Amber met her gaze, she saw it grow damper, as if in apology.

"Drop it, for Heaven's sake. We're all on the same side here, Dunwar." Jorek said.

"No, no we're not! These wenches don't have any right to wear the White Robes, and if you spend more time with the Holy Scripture instead of your fucking brandy bottle, you would see it as well! But no, you just-"

"Shut up! I swear to you, one more word and you will  _ wish _ that I had just suspended you!" Jorek shouted.

The fire in Dunwar started swiftly dying. "But-"

"No! Keep your damned mouth shut. Do you understand?"

Dunwar let out a resignated sigh. "...Yes."

"Oh, I hope so… for your sake. Just be glad that this is a time when we need skilled mages  more than ever. Just… be glad." Jorek shook his head. "Now enough of this, our demeanor defiles this sacred place. There will be enough time for depression and personal crisis once this trial is all over, I promise. Let's recite the Holy Words."

"Thou art my light, my glimmer at the horizon. Thy name is my sacrament, and thy path I will honour. In life, as in death." Jorek said, all tones of anger in his voice lost.

"May your light guide me." Everyone said in unison, except for Amber, as she did not know the words.

"Good. As you know, the trial will test the fortitude of your spirit. Because that is what, erm… distinguishes a Keeper from a soldier; what distinguishes a wise man from a fool. Keep that in mind. Now drink the potion I gave you. Prodigy, you go first. Let's hope the Grandmaster was right about you."

Calia watched as Amber fished around in her pouch for a few moments before producing the small potion. She popped the cork off and drank it, giving the slightest glance at Calia, before the potion began to affect her. She dropped the bottle as it smashed against the stone and fell to her knees and then down onto the ground. She was still breathing, yet was otherwise completely unconscious.

Jorek looked at her for only a second longer to make sure she was still breathing before turning to Dunwar. "Your turn."

Dunwar offered protest. "You can't be serious, that potion looked like it killed her!"

Jorek ground his teeth once more. "Do it. As I have and every other Keeper you've ever seen. How do you think we are still alive, if the potion is filled with poison?"

_ Because only Amber's was filled with poison, _ Calia couldn't help but think. Dunwar ripped the cork off the bottle and drank it, knowing this was the only way he could become a Keeper. But he too had a very similar reaction as Amber had, although he hardly even fell on his knees before his face nearly smashed into the stone. Calia winced and Jorek just shook his head with a sigh.

"Alright, your turn Sakaresh. My apologies for how Dunwar has treated you these past hours." There was little emotion etched in his face, yet she could still tell it was genuine.

"It won't lower my spirits, Master. I hope to see you soon," she said in parting before drinking the potion and suffering a similar fate to Amber and Dunwar. The potion distorted her vision and was almost too powerful for how quickly it had affected her.

"I do too, Sakaresh," Jorek said just as Calia lost conscious.

She hoped Amber was as ready for the trial as she was.


	17. Fortitude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, chapter 17 of To Last Forever arrives! I finally settled down and played more of Amber in Enderal and this chapter was the result of that. I'll more than likely continue with this but I do not guarantee consistent uploads.
> 
> Anywho, enjoy the chapter!

Her mind felt like it was being smashed by a hammer. When she even tried to move, her body felt sore and broken. Her eyes opened blearily and when she looked around, she saw that she was in a cell. A dark, grimy, horrid cell. _What? No, how can I be back?! It's not possible!_ She thought for a moment before looking around her further. It was not the same. The lighting was wrong. Dark and cold, depressing greys and blues. The stench of death was heavy in the air, nearly consuming her. Not where she had originally thought she was. Good. Better let sleeping ghosts lie. A man with short black hair slick with grease and dressed in ragged clothes stood from his position on the ground and made his way over to her.

"Oh, no… no, no, no! I knew I wouldn't be the last one. Did they tell you the tale about the Keeper's Secrets?" His voice was almost despondent, but something about it was off. She wasn't sure, though, and the observation was nothing more than a passing thought gone as soon as he started talking again. "They've lured you into a trap you know, and you fell for it because you're arrogant. Just as I am… I was."

She wanted to dig in and immediately raise her voice. She wasn't arrogant. She didn't think so. Arrogant seemed an improper word, but she did not know of one to replace it. But there was no way this was real. Her subconscious, maybe even whatever it was that she had drunk was creating this. Part of her test. Her trial. Had to be. "You're not real."

"A bit blunt to say, but no, of course, I'm not. At least, not according to your definition of the word. But then again, what is reality, anyway?" He stood silent for a few seconds and Amber grew a little uncomfortable. "If I had told you that you and your friend Sirius actually lied dead at the bottom of the sea and that everything that has happened so far - your journey to Ark, the search at the Sun Coast - was only a dream, would you be able to recognize the truth?"

"Well, of course, I would," she thought for a few moments. "If it was a dream, it would be a lot more tortured by my subconscious."

"Perhaps your mind is torturing you still, yet this time it is a longer and more drawn out process. Giving you a chance at a real life, a sense of belonging before snatching it away." He said. That gave Amber pause. Was it possible? Maybe, but there was no way she'd let this figment of her mind know. "But ultimately, the answer is no. Because you don't want to die, and you don't want to accept that. Therefore, your mind will do anything to make you believe this entire dream you've had was and is reality."

"But… how would I be able to dream if I was already dead? That makes little sense if any." Amber said a little defensively. He was right, she didn't - wouldn't - accept that she had died. There was no way. Everything she had felt since waking up on the beach or struggling for that last breath that never seemed to have come was as real as the rest of her life. None of her dreams had given her that sense of pure unfiltered realism.

"Doesn't it? Tell me, what is time to the dead and dreaming, anyway? The last second before the water floods your lungs, the very last instant before it tears them apart; in your mind, it could be an eternity."

"No dream would last this long. None." Amber bit. No way could she dream up such a vast amount of time with so much happening; her mind was never the creative type. Couldn't really work like that, and a dream is like a book and a painting combined. She couldn't make half the stuff she had seen or heard or felt in her dreams even if she tried.

He continued on, practically ignoring her comment. "A self-created sanctuary, built from nothing but your wishes. But what's the point in talking, anyway? You don't want to believe me and I'm tired of trying to make you. Now leave me alone before we make the Suppressor even angrier." His voice dropped to a whisper. "He doesn't like words, he likes the silence."

"The Suppressor, who are you speaking of?" Amber asked, her voice adopting a similar tone. It was still rather easy to hear, however.

"What, they haven't told you about him? Oh, so typical of the Order. The Suppressor… He's the reason why we will be imprisoned forever, and why we can't access our feelings and wishes. And he does it because he wants us to lose hope, to stop believing. And, you know… Sometimes I wonder if that's exactly what one, what I have to do to finally be free. Give up. Detach myself from the dreams of the past… Who knows if they were anything else than phantasms, to begin with." His voice had given up on the hushed tone, and so hers did the same. In due time. "But no, no not yet. It's too early to surrender. And isn't that what makes us human, anyway? To hope, and to just keep on waiting for that one miracle that will end the pain once and for all? Yeah, yeah, I'll wait… And you will wait with me, forever."

He walked off and sat down again, leaving Amber to her thoughts. She sat down too. The human nature to never give up. Exactly what she was feeling. But what made her stomach turn was the thought of everything up to this point being a lie. A figment of her imagination. A day without end. Until the sea drowned her.

She stood up and shook her head. "No, no, my life is not a dream. It isn't, I know it." Telling herself that was a comfort. A small one, but one nonetheless. She walked over to a hole in the wall with a skeleton, open-jawed staring soullessly at her. In a moment, her vision went hazy white and when she opened her eyes, a door stood there in front of her. Metal, cold, but there.

She turned around and looked at the man. "What the…? How did you do that?"

"I… walked to it…?" She replied.

"You… you simply opened it? But that's impossible! All these years it's kept me from escaping, and you just..." The astonishment in his voice was only slightly lacking.

"Sorry if you're having a moment, but I'm going to leave. You're welcome to join me when you want to." Amber replied.

"Yes, yes, of course. Let's go and see what's outside. We won't get far, but still… we have to see. Come, lead the way." He stood up quickly and waited anxiously for Amber to open the door. She gave it a slight push and it simply swung open, the hinge not even squealing.

Only two steps outside the door did she see the same skeleton and opening, transplanted into the wall in front of her. It was as if the room was in the way of the circular hallway to both her sides and by moving there, it had gone back several paces. Whatever it was that caused it, she continued on through the stoney prison, an anxious companion walking nervously behind her.

Going down the hallway to her right led her to a sight she nearly rubbed her eyes for. A chair was in the middle of the hallway, floating. Drifting off to the side and spinning slightly as candlelight flickered against it bravely.

She pushed it forwards and it hit the wall with a low thud, just as blue ethereal wraiths of women in tattered rags and burned faces shifted towards her. She grabbed her belt for anything and found a dagger at her side. She did not recall it being there before, unsheathed it as quickly as she could and swung it at the closest ghostly woman. The first slash left a huge, gaping wound across the illuminated figure and the second one made it vanish with a dying flicker, like a candle hit by a sudden gust of wind. A second one came at her, then a fourth and a fifth from a linear hallway on the opposite side of her brief chamber. They all fell as easily as the first one, yet one touched Amber with its dead, icy hand. The feeling was a numbing sensation that dulled her senses almost immediately and as soon as the ethereal figure let go, she felt better.

"By the Gods, these are the scourges of the Suppressor! They want to punish us!" The man behind her cried.

She pushed her way through the dense, moldy air and into a room filled with cages and a stretching rack. She shivered looking at the abomination of wood and metal and what horrors it had inflicted on others and made her way through the tight room and into an even tighter hallway. She turned right and made her way up some stairs, the light dying on them and making her stumble once or twice on the uphill climb of cold flat stones. The man whimpered behind her.

There was light when she turned the corner and saw that she was on the upper level of where she had come from. Stubborn moss and lichen grew against the stones where the milky white light hit them and made everywhere else seem even darker. As she moved to the other side of the large central opening, she saw another one of those… scourges float up and try to attack her. A few slashes from her dagger did the job, but Amber wasn't fully sure how. When she looked from where the apparition had come from, she saw the skeleton that had been in front of her cell on one side and a sword, some old stale bread, and an even older glass bottle containing some red liquid in it. She grabbed the sword, handed her dagger to the man following her, and left the other supplies. She could not carry them and as such, they were not needed.

"This… this is so wrong… and yet, so right. Just… just to see a glimpse. Of the outside. I know we'll get caught, I know it. But I'm sure the Suppressor will understand."

As they left the supposed natural light and entered the dark hallways lit by undying candles once more, the stench of death became ever more apparent. When she fully looked at what was in front of her, she understood why. A log had been set down in the middle of a well-lit section of the room, barrels, and pillars acting as a wall. There was an aged metal axe buried into the wheel of wood and there were various, boney human parts spread around it, flesh and blood dried and hardened to the bones they clung to. As she walked by it, she saw parchment and writing to the side. She took the time to read it.

_Let us listen to the silence… What really drives you?_

_Who are you? Who are you since you set foot on Enderal? Now you are the opposite of what you really are - instructive, strong, powerful, meaningful, in short: The Prophet. You have constructed a narrative for yourself, a fairy-tale… a fairy-tale about who you want to be. And you have found exactly those people who confirm it. That's the most important thing, isn't it? You've found someone who believes in your fairy-tale. Don't you see? You're simply wrong. All about you is wrong._

_You are pathetic, you know that? What would Sirius say about this?_

She let the note fall to the ground and smothered it under foot. _She_ isn't a different person. She is who she has always been, and Enderal was just the right place to give her the proper care and treatment to blossom into who she is now, The Prophet. People change, simple as that. And she was no more different than anyone else.

But Sirius… she wasn't sure what he would say. She blinked and wondered if she would be able to find him along the Sun Coast if she searched enough. If she asked everyone she encountered if they had seen him. Possibly. She would have to do that when she escaped this hellish nightmare and became a Keeper. He still needed to be buried…

There was nowhere else to go in that room, so she walked outside and grimaced yet followed the charred, burned bodies of innocents and criminals alike, all clawing their way along the wretched stones to find haven along the stairs that, once again, led up.

There was another scourge up the stairs and the air suddenly became near-freezing. Astonishing to her, grimly reminded of the full-body burns the unfortunate men and women down the stairs endured. Must have happened a lifetime ago. The man always behind her, dagger nervously in his hand commented on the marked drop in warmth. "Brr… It's so cold. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all… I mean, yes, the cell is small, but at least it's… safe."

"If you want to go back, fine by me. I'll be damned twice over if I set one foot back to captivity on the other hand. I'm escaping. You don't have to." Amber remarked. The man followed her anyway.

The stone hallway gave to a cave and a stairwell that led into the stoney, airtight room. Every breath was nauseating and sent her head spinning. She clutched the handle of her sword until her knuckles turned white and kept gripping. There were two more scourges, easily disposed of, and on the floor of the cave sat a small lake of blood. Chunks of human remains sat amongst the dried pool and Amber didn't even want to imagine what torture those poor souls had endured to end up in such a state. All she could - had - to focus on was escaping.

Just as quickly as the cave appeared, it vanished once more to stone hallways filled with dust and stubborn, low-lying plant life. Water showed with bodies floating in it, each with a word brandished across the chest. _Panic_ , _Hopelessness_ , _Despair_. The face of the man was unidentifiable, a generic and easy-to-forget face. One that her mind could not put a name to. The carefully carved, aged stones once again fell away to show a wide open cave with a way to walk on one side and a flowing river half her body height below her. More scourges attempted to slow their advances yet they all fell to the blade Amber wielded, weeks of training and desperate learning not forgotten yet.

The only light was coming from candles placed amongst skulls, going up a tiny incline of dirt to reach a massive… deer head, perhaps. Elk. It was held up on a pedestal of human skulls. Amber looked at it for a few moments, feeling a mix of anxiety and nostalgia, and shook her head, pressing onwards.

The stones returned in utter darkness. As they walked through a lightless hallway, Amber conjured fire to her offhand to bring light to the ancient walls. Without warning, metal balls covered in large, dangerous spikes flew at each other with the intent of digging into any would-be trespasser. The man behind her stopped and spoke a bit. "W-wait - haven't we been here before? By the Gods, everything looks so familiar, it's a damn maze. Oh, really, we never should have left. This will be our doom."

"Quit it! There's only been one path we could follow and that led us here, and again, you can go back anytime you want. I will be continuing forward." Amber bit. He could be quite annoying and didn't contribute to the fighting, but he was another person to speak to. And that gave Amber  _some_ comfort.

A dim and pale light guided them to a room filled with cells, wide and open, placed side-by-side. Another scourge watched over the cells until Amber slashed it twice, and the man Amber still didn't know the name of spoke yet again. "Oh no… no, no, no! Do you see it? All the cells, they're all empty. And there's blood… oh, no. There were people in there, just like us. They didn't know their place either, and now they're dead! They've simply… dissolved, because they dared to disobey the Suppressor! Oh by the Gods, this is what will happen to us, too. I knew it was a mistake to leave in the first place, I just knew it."

Amber spun around and jabbed a finger into the man's chest. "Blazes, you've said you wanted to go back. Just go! I'm not going to stop you. Leave! Begone! Unless you're going to stick around and in that case, shut up, quit complaining, and help for once."

The man stood still for a few moments as Amber marched onwards before she could hear his footsteps follow her once more. She couldn't help but feel her heart sink a little. Through an iron door, down a set of stairs, and past two scourges was a skull on a pedestal. The jaw was wide open as if it was screaming and on the forehead was a word carved into the bone. _Remorse_. Amber picked up the skull to study it further and heard metal scraping against metal and noticed the tiny holes in the wall. All she could think to do was fall to the floor and while it hurt, she saw metal spikes stab into where she had been only a second prior. The skull was still clutched in her hand and she heard something move off to the side. When the spikes that nearly impaled her retracted, she stood up again and went to investigate the second sound.

A passage had either shown up or been unblocked by her actions and allowed her to move forwards. She dropped the skull and made her way through the tight hallway she had opened up. In the middle of a dim room stood a metal ring of spikes, not unlike the ones that tried to stab her, raised to the ceiling. There was another pedestal in the middle of the ring with a skeleton and what looked to be a key on the top of the small pillar. She looked at one gap, slightly larger than the others and looked down at herself, seeing her feet and tiny bust and made a decision. She turned her body to the side and simply walked between the two metal spikes. The key sat there until she picked it up and put it into her offhand. She left the circle the same way she entered it.

There was a barred metal door on the other side of the circle, and she made her way to it. The door had a lock on it and the key fit perfectly. She couldn't see much inside the room, but it looked quite familiar. She stepped inside and everything went hazy for a few seconds, just like it had the first time.

The cell looked exactly like the one she had escaped from, except for the rack with two arms still left on it and the pile of bones at her feet. The man following her spoke once more. "Oh, no… no! Can't you see? We're back where we started! I knew it, it's just useless. The Suppressor doesn't want us to leave, and now he will be even angrier when we meet him than he was before. It was a mistake to follow you, you're vile. You forced me to do this, you and you alone. Just… just leave me alone, okay? Just go!"

Amber walked up to him and he grimaced at her. "What? Leave me alone! The Suppressor's punishment will be horrible."

"Why are you so afraid of this 'Suppressor'? I haven't seen anything!" Amber said. She was even more annoyed with him now, accusing her of leading him along when she gave him more than one chance to turn back.

His words were filled with spite. "No, you haven't, because you are blind! The Suppressor is here, in every single stone, in every bone, in every drop of blood, and yet you are too blind to see it!" His tone once again shifted back to being filled with hopelessness and dispassion. "But I should have known… I mean, what can you expect from someone who has killed his entire family? I followed you because, for a brief moment, you made me want to believe… and now you have dragged me into the abyss along with you."

"Blazes, I gave you every opportunity to turn back around and leave me to my own failings. It's as much your fault as it is mine for getting us here. If anything, you're the vile one! Full of cowardice, criticism, and spite!" Amber yelled, her voice echoing off the walls of the tiny cell. When she spoke again, the volume of her voice and the anger it held in it was gone. "There still has to be a way out of here…"

"No, there isn't!" The man replied. "Just look at us, look at what we are - we are the damned because we are trapped too deeply in the past… and that's why we do not deserve freedom."

She looked at him for a moment and went to go and sit on one of the old furs where she had initially woken up from. The man walked to the bones, lightly kicked them out of the way and sat down where he had been before this all started. Amber thought, hard. About Sirius, about Enderal, about the note she found in this accursed place and what it all meant. Was it true that this was merely a dream, a figment of her imagination as her last breath left her? Even so, she still needed to give Sirius a proper funeral. She would do that as soon as she was able. If she ever escaped this place…

"So," Amber started up after a while of thinking, "what I don't really understand is you. Who are you - are you a part of me? An illusion, maybe?"

The man lifted his head up and spoke in a hoarse voice. "Of course I am a part of you, and you are a part of me, isn't that obvious? But I should have known you wouldn't understand. You are too weak, you always were."

If the man's goal was to get her angry, he finally, truly succeeded. She stood up, grabbed her sword, walked over and slashed it down onto the man's head. When it didn't split open, she stepped back and wondered how that was possible. The man stood up.

"Well, well, you figured it out. Yes, I am the one keeping you in this place, but was it blind rage that made you act? Or did you truly understand what I am? Have you understood what drives you and your actions? The salt corrodes your skin and the water filling your lungs is cold, but you still haven't found it, child. Have you?"

As he spoke, the world faded to white and the little world she had entered tore asunder.


	18. Reminiscence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news, everyone! To Last Forever is officially the longest thing I have ever written! It was the longest story I had written last chapter, too, at 70k+ words, but I forgot to mention it. This chapter just furthers the gap from all the other ones in terms of length, and maybe even quality.
> 
> So weekly uploads _should_ return but I'm going to be cautiously optimistic about it and don't promise anything I know can easily be broken. Still, as I have said in the story summary, you should probably check in every week to see if a new chapter is out.

She woke up the intense sound of rain pounding on the roof above her head. She was sleeping in a room with five beds, two close to a hearth, the other three pushed up against the side of the wall. A window close to her showed the absolute downpour outside and, oddly, no one else was in the room.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Well, there was _someone_ in the room. Jespar. She looked at him with an incredulous look on her face. "Jespar? Is that you?"

"Oh, hey, good to see you awake. How are you feeling?" He asked in a caring tone.

"Fine, I suppose. Could feel worse. Where are we?" Amber responded, her voice a little thick.

"In the temple… the Curarium, to be precise. You were brought here when you were travelling with that Aixon guy. I think the others are already awake, but I didn't want to leave you here, so I thought I'd just stay." He flashed a grin at her. "I mean, hey, you _are_ a Keeper of the First Sigil now, aren't you? I believe congratulations are in order!'

She couldn't help but smile a little. _How did he know about the man… Aixon… Does everyone see the same thing when they endure the test? How is that possible?_ "Thanks, Jespar."

"Don't mention it, that's just how I am. What's bad though, is that being a 'Keeper' won't get you anywhere. Do you know why? Because you're pathetic. Simply pathetic."

The words hit her like a sword through the heart. "Wh… what?"

Jespar's voice was gone. In it's place was Tealor's. "I said you are pathetic. At first we believed it would be more exciting this time. But now that we've seen the new Prophet, our hopes are gone. You are a joke."

Behind her, on the other chair, the reanimated body of Sirius sat there. He looked at her with complete disgust on his pale, dead face. "A nobody… who let her only friend kick the bucket. "

Suddenly, Constantine stood in front of her, materializing out of nothing in a swirl of red, glowing ash. "As if you'd ever accept that… You humans are always so damn persistent, aren't you? Why? Why can't you just let go?"

And then there was Calia, leaning against the side of the hearth. She stood in her novice robes, her sword on her back and a look of contempt, or worse, on her face. "Because, in the end, you are powerless, just as all those before you. And you, _Prophetess_ , you are the biggest joke of all."

"No, no, you're wrong! You're all wrong!" Amber cried. "I'm not weak, I'm not pathetic. I know it!"

The woman who Tealor had been speaking to as Amber met him stood there in her armour, looking down on Amber with a sneer on her face. "You are nothing but an urchin."

"A weakling." Calia included.

Tealor, at last, stood behind her. "And a murderer."

All the figures faded a bit and became… outlines of themselves, lined with red and white. Ethereal figures that looked at her with utter spite. The one who looked like Tealor spoke, this time, in a deep voice cursed by the damned. "And that is why you will burn, all of you. The Cleansing will happen… And there is nothing you can do to stop it."

She looked at the being with a mix of pain and hatred. She spent a few moments thinking of what to say. "...So you're the ones behind this, aren't you? Why are you doing this? What have we done to you?"

"What you have 'done' to us? You are so naive. The world is an interplay of cause and effect, and the only logical consequence for your existence is annihilation. That's the way it was and that's the way it's going to be." The figure answered, scoldingly. "But, enough banter, urchin… We wanted to meet you, and so we did. Even though the result is rather… sobering. Now wake up. Keep on stumbling through the mist."

The figures burned away into searing ash and left Amber to wake up once more. She opened her eyes frantically to the sound of rain. It was the same room she was in before, but this time she could see a figure leaning against a part of the wall at the end of her bed, facing the window and looking out at the world from the Sun Temple.

Amber looked around for Jespar, or the Ethereal beings, but couldn't see anyone else but the figure in front of her. She had a strong feeling that it was Calia. Her heart felt more at ease.

Amber tossed the sheet of her and stood up, her head spinning and her voice gone. Her tongue felt as though it was sand and the taste in her mouth was dreadful. She saw water on the small table beside her bed and grabbed it, pouring herself a glass. She heard footsteps from beside her and Calia sat down on the bed Amber had been sleeping in. Amber looked at her as she drained a cup of wine and then sat down on her bed, her whole body felt tired and drained. She saw a body on the bed beside her, his back facing her. Amber could only assume it was Dunwar.

"Thank Malphas… I was starting to think I was the only one." Calia said, her voice echoing softly in the room. It was nice to hear it in a lighter, more welcoming tone than the beings Amber had just met had used it for. "How… are you? You look exhausted."

Amber breathed in deeply and started to pour herself a second glass. "I've felt worse before. But, shock of shocks, I am." Amber said with a little bit of a smile before downing the glass of water. She felt a bit better, but the water felt cold and unwelcome in her stomach. Her mouth started to come alive again.

"Of course… Sorry, that remark was a little redundant. But it's good to see the Grandmaster was right after all." Calia said with a tiny smile.

"Yeah, I'd have hated to die so soon into what's become such an endearing adventure." Amber said. _I already escaped death once and I didn't do it to let it find me again._

Again, Calia smiled. It was warm and welcoming. Made Amber feel at home. "I woke up just a few hours earlier, and he was here in the meantime… he didn't doubt for a single second that you wouldn't make it. But I suppose mutual congratulations are in order… we made it. We passed the trial."

"Yeah, we did. Did the other guy…?"

"Dunwar? Not yet, if at all. He's still there on the bed," Calia made a small gesture to the bed in front of them. "...It doesn't look too promising for him."

Amber felt her heart sink a little. Dunwar was an ass, sure, but he was still a person. Maybe he'd wake up, but Amber had her doubts. "So, does this make us Keepers now?"

"Almost, yes. All that is left to do is to take the oath, and then the Grandmaster Arantheal will exalt us to the Keepers of the First Sigil. Speaking of whom, he also told me a few things while you were asleep… about the Pyreans, about the dreams, and, of course, about the Cycle…"

"What do you think about all of it?" Amber asked. She could hardly believe it all herself, but the very cause of the Cycle visited her. Probably. She didn't know who they were for sure, but whoever they were, they meant trouble. That must mean that it will come to pass if nothing were to happen.

"It's just so bizarre, really… at first we're told out of nowhere that the Gods 'have died' and now that humanity is on the brink of extinction… This is a lot to take in."

"Agreed… it's a lot to take in. I had to deal with it as I travelled to the Heartland. I had even more to take in, really, because I spent much of my time also wondering why _I_ was- am the Prophetess." Amber shook her head and chuckled a little. "It's odd knowing that you're one of, if not the most, important people in the entire world."

Calia nodded agreement. "I bet. If you don't mind, I'd like to give my thoughts on the Cycle and all this that we've found ourselves in."

Amber made a gesture for her to continue and poured herself her third glass of water.

"Well, it's hard to say what I think about it. I never had the dreams the Grandmaster talked about, even though I'm magically gifted. But then again, I always had the feeling that the Red Madness was more than some ordinary disease… Well, I suppose all this explains a lot." Calia sighed, paused, and started speaking once more. "At least now I can understand why the Grandmaster was willing to break all traditions of the Order just to get you exalted as a Keeper. According to him, most of our battle against the Cycle will stand or fall with you."

"Kind of a lot of pressure right? 'If you fail, the entire world will too'... I wish I could speak with the same conviction as the Grandmaster, but to be honest, I don't really think I fully understand all of what's happened to me yet."

"Yes, I believe that. It's a great responsibility you've been given, and as impressive as your skills are, I would not want to change places with you." Calia admitted.

"I doubt anyone would want to be the person responsible for the end of the world if you fuck up… It's odd, isn't it? To have read so many stories and heard so many tales of grand heroes facing against impossible odds and defeating them and now experiencing the same in reality. Like a storybook come to life."

"A dark, realistic storybook." Calia added.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Amber started up conversation again. "Hm, so what's the next step?" She asked.

"Well, as I said, we both have to take the Holy Oath. You should talk to the Grandmaster as soon as you're ready; he's waiting for you in the Emporium."

"So, Dunwar really isn't going to make it?" Amber asked.

"It's unlikely. The Apothecarii examined him about an hour ago, and it doesn't look good. It's like that he'll never wake up again."

"He better not die. He doesn't deserve that."

"No… in spite of everything." Calia said solemnly. "You know, Dunwar was one of those people who tried to gild their insecurity with boastful behaviour. The reality is, that he was the last of his bloodline, and his faith in the Path and his 'destiny' as a Keeper was all he had left. And who knows… maybe he would have been a great help to the Order, with the right guidance."

They both sat in silence for a few more moments before Calia spoke again. "But I suppose Master Batarr's revelation was just too much for him. It's hard to be told that everything you've lived for was a lie."

"Sorry if I'm being crude, but you don't seem too shaken up by it all. The death of the Lightborn, I mean."

"Well, maybe I just don't show it as much. But yes, in a way you're probably right… I suppose that's mainly due to the fact that to me, as opposed to Dunwar, the Order always stood for an idea. And an idea doesn't die with the one who first thought of it. Funny that the Grandmaster nearly said the same thing during the exaltation. Dunwar would have considered it blasphemy."

While Amber knew of the cruelty the Gods can bring down upon the world, speaking about it with Calia would have probably provoked a negative reaction. Instead, she opted for a more avoided approach. "An interesting thought, perhaps not the one I have, but something worth considering. Speaking of Dunwar, though, what was that spat in the ritual area? He called you a 'witch'." She didn't expect Calia to open her heart to it, at least not yet.

"Hm… I knew that question would come eventually." Calia said with a slight frown.

"You don't have to answer it if you don't want to, it can be shoved to the wayside or dropped entirely." Amber hastily explained.

"Well, I can at least offer something. I do suppose that the answer depends on if you're in the mood for some gloomy talk. Sooner or later you will hear it from someone else anyway, so why not from me first?"

Amber made herself comfortable on the bed as Calia started speaking again.

"I… phhh. Where to start? Maybe with the fact that I don't remember anything that happened before my sixth winter. I don't know where I was born and I never got to now my parents."

"That's rough. How come you don't remember?"

"I wish I knew." Calia stood up and walked over to the window, leaning against it and watching the rainy world outside. Amber didn't really want to step out in it, but in order to meet the Grandmaster, it would seem she had no choice. Amber walked over and looked out the window beside Calia. "What I do remember, though, is the first memory I have is of waking up in the middle of some village. It was dark and I felt dizzy and… I don't know, 'empty?' That's probably the best way to describe it. I eventually found the strength to get up and look around… and well, that's when I realized what was actually going on around me."

"Oh, that doesn't sound good." Amber said, pressing her dry, chaotic hair against the condensation-covered window to get a better look of the rainy, gloomy world. People moved like ants down through the streets below them.

"The entire village… it had been destroyed. There were corpses everywhere, men, women, children, and the houses had been crushed as if some mad god had rampaged through the streets there… and it all just happened hours before, because the destruction was still fresh. Whatever it was, I didn't have much time to think about it."

Her voice shook and she steadied herself with a few deep breaths."As soon as I got up, I saw three riders coming through the smoke. One of them got off his horse, ran towards one of the corpses and started screaming something in my direction. Then I felt a blow on the back of my head and I lost consciousness. By the name of the sun, it's… strange to talk about it like this. It's been so long, but the memory feels as if it had happened yesterday."

Amber extended an arm and let it rest on Calia's closest shoulder, rubbing it sympathetically. "I figured. Things like that are not so easily forgotten… Thank you for trusting me with this. I know it must have been hard to speak about."

"It's okay. Anyway, it turned out that the riders were from the village who had gone hunting. They must have observed the… whatever it was from the distance, and ridden back to the village. At least I think that's how it was; I guess I'll never find out. The reason they thought I was somehow involved is that the village priest found me a couple of days before it happened near a shrine in the wilderness. Apparently I was wearing torn clothing, and no matter what the Apothecarius tried, he couldn't wake me up from my comatose sleep. And it seems that made the riders think I was some kind of witch-child… or unholy beast, whichever you prefer."

"Witch-child sounds better, if only because 'unholy beast' strips you of your humanity." Amber said, noticing the faintest ghost of a smile cross Calia's lips before it vanished. "So, what did these men want to do to you? Take revenge?"

"Probably. Truth be told, I try not to think about it too much… and actually it doesn't matter, because I somehow managed to get away before they could do anything. I even made it to Ark, all by myself… which didn't turn out to be much of an improvement in the end, because I was Pathless."

"So they took you to the… Undercity, right? That's where Pathless go?"

"Yes. Thinking about it now, I wonder how I made it through my time down there. But maybe that's one of the advantages of being a child. You don't think, you just act. Still, the winters down there were cruel, and if Master Tyras hadn't found and taken care of me, I probably wouldn't have made it to see through my second year."

" 'Master' Tyras? So… a Keeper adopted you?" Amber asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes, otherwise I would not be here. 'He saw me and he knew what he had to do,' as he put it." Calia moved away from the window and sat down on a bed close by. Amber chose to remain standing. "Of course, the Order wasn't too happy about a Pathless child in the Scuola, just as some aren't happy about you being here. Tyras was a highly regarded man, and that's why they let it slide."

"So he just saw you and adopted you? That sounds… a little to good to be true, if I'm honest."

"It does, yes… but then, he lost both his wife and daughter five years before he found me. So maybe I was some kind of substitute, I don't know… But in the end, it doesn't matter. I owe him everything. He was… a good man, and that's all that matters."

"Right. Well, one thing that I never really understood is why the Order is so uptight about letting Pathless into its ranks. It's not like we don't both have our reasons."

"We do, yes, but we are both still Pathless, and that disqualifies us according to the Holy Verses. I guess now you understand why I was never as 'connected' to Malphas' teachings as Dunwar was. To some of the Keepers I am still an outcast, and no matter what I do, I always will be."

"Well, we should take pride in our status despite our lowly backgrounds. We rose up and now stand as equals in an extremely xenophobic, traditionalist nation. We shouldn't take what we've been given for granted, however."

"Especially not you." Calia added.

"So… Master Tyras granted you a Noviciate?"

"Yes… and now I'm here. Well, here we've reached the end of my impressive tale. I hope you liked it." Calia said with an audible sigh.

"I did indeed. Makes my life sound a bit bland and boring in comparison." Amber claimed. "But that means that Dunwar believes that the story you've told, about you being responsible for destroying the village, is actually true?"

"He does, yes, and he's not alone in his opinion. One of those hunters recognized me in the market my first year as a novice, and you can imagine that it was easy pickings for those who were already against my presence in the Order. From then on, they added names to derogatory stares… Demon-child, witch, whatever they could come up with."

"Well, you're talented and intelligent, as well as pretty, so I think at least some of it could be that they were simply jealous." Amber said, a little unsure of herself.

"Yes… maybe? You know what's funny? To some extent, I'm glad to be who I am. That way people just leave me alone… and that gives me more time to focus on what's important. On my goals."

"Which would be, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Not at all. I have several. But I'd say that's enough of the gloomy stories, don't you think? There will be plenty more time for chatter in the future… maybe."

"Aw, you're just gonna leave me hanging?"

"Mhm, at least for a little while. Suspense is important."

"To be honest, I think we all have enough of it as of now, but fine, I _suppose_ I can wait until you decide to tell me more. Anyway, I guess I should go and see the Grandmaster now. I'll speak to you soon, Calia."

"Likewise, Amber."

Amber walked over to the front of her bed, searched through the chest left there and gathered her supplies. "You don't mind me changing in here, do you?"

"You're not going to get nude, are you?"

"No, at least, I don't plan to." Amber said as she threw off her shirt and pants and donned her armour. It was still as loose as it was before, which wasn't by much, but it was better than she currently could afford. And it protected her well. Once she was a Keeper, however, she could get some better equipment. Not the heavy, bulky armour that the other Keepers wore. Maybe something more like the armour the city guards wore. That would be more ideal. Looked lighter. Might not be as sturdy as she would want it to be, however.

She grabbed her sword and all the other trinkets and baubles she had lying around and put them all into wherever she could. Calia attempted to avoid looking at Amber but she couldn't help but steal a few glances, shocked at the amount of scars that lined the tiny Kiléan's back.

"I didn't know you had so many scars." Calia mentioned slowly.

"Part of my tragic backstory that I'll tell you about when we have further time to talk… and when I feel ready." Amber said as she put the final touches on her armour and weaponry. While the armour wasn't anything to really be impressed by, the sword was practically made for a King, it looked like. Amber didn't think it was, really, but it was a truly beautiful sword.

"If you'd like, I could offer to show you around a bit. I know you've already been here a while, but maybe you don't know the names of everything and what it's used for." Calia said.

Amber thought for a moment and spoke. "Sure, show me the way, fellow soon-to-be Keeper."

Calia smiled a bit and stood up, walking to the door and pushing it open. A dim hallway stood in front of them and it briefly reminded Amber of the twisting hallways of her trial but pushed the idea out of her mind. She was back in the Sun Temple. She was safe.

They left the room behind and made their way down the left set of stairs. The stairs descended a long ways and it was odd not hearing anything other than the smacking of rain against tile and their own footsteps. The two Pathless soon-to-be Keepers walked out into a wide room with several rows of benches with a few individuals, some in robes, some in armour, some in commons, and all worshiping to some degree. Candles had been lit and the entire room smelled of incense. In the middle of the room, standing on a thin stone slate was a massive stone statue of a Grandmaster, or a legend. It looked awfully like Tealor, but Amber doubted his influence in convincing the men and women of the Order to construct such a monument to him.

Calia stopped when she was halfway through the rows. All of them had thin wooden pillars and a small, straight bar going above them with carved filigree and ornate markings. As Amber looked, she could see flowing water behind her taller, ebony-haired companion. "Alright… this is the Sanctum, a place of silence and prayer, and where we'll be exalted soon."

As the walked away from the massive statue, Amber got to see the flowing water in further detail. It was falling from a section in the ceiling and landing in a knee-high deep basin. Two motherly, angelic beings stood in stone on each side, dressed in conservative robes with short hair and tamed wings. They descended another flight of stairs and Amber found herself in a markedly dimmer room than the one above, which had access to sunlight during the day. Two central, well carved wooden pillars stood in the middle of this room, stretching from one side of it to the other with another ornate bar between them. One side, was two steps taller than the other. There was a door on the other side of the room at the far end and, once it was opened, Amber saw and heard the rain of the world again and almost wanted to stay inside.

Calia made her way to the other side of the Sun Temple and already looked damp by the time she stopped walking. They were standing in front of a place Amber knew, the Chronicum.

"Alright, I'm sure you know this place. It's the Chronicum, if you didn't know the name. This is where we keep all our gathered knowledge, kept in books and parchments. As well, all the experiments and research on artifacts are done here… so it's a place you'll probably be seeing a lot of in the future. Just below the Chronicum is the smithy. From the looks of your sword, you've already been there."

"Does the blacksmith always do such fine work?" Amber asked, admiring her sword in its sheath once more.

"Not that I'm aware of. Maybe the Grandmaster had prepared for such a commission." Calia pointed to the building along the grass, closest to the Chronicum.

"Oh, I know _that_ place for sure. That's the Quarters, and below it is the Scuola. I've used both sufficiently since I started staying here."

"It's seems you are in less need of a guide than I thought." Calia remarked. Not that that was a bad thing, of course.

Amber smiled sheepishly. "Maybe not… Still, hearing from a well-versed individual is wise, in my experience."

"Well, in that case, I'm sure you've already been to the Emporium and the Eye of the Gods. Anyway, you should go and see the Grandmaster as soon as you're able. He's been waiting for you, as I was."

"Fair enough, what will you do?"

"Prepare myself, probably. Now walk blessed, I will see you soon." Calia said as she turned around and began walking off to the Quarters.

"Walk blessed." Amber replied, perhaps a bit to low for Calia to hear.

She stood in the rain for a few more moments before deciding she should go and see the Grandmaster. Her feet echoed softly along the pearlish, wet stones underfoot and the trimmed grass and other minor plants were always a welcome sight. Cities rarely had anything made by nature herself aside from the ground underfoot and in the Sun Temple and the rest of the city, it was a nice change.

The Emporium stood tall and proud as it probably had done so for millennia. She made her way inside the building and marvelled at the grandeur of it all, once again. She walked up the stairs and began walking into the massive dining room. A distinct voice was present, speaking actively. The Grandmaster himself.

Whatever he had said was too faint for Amber to hear properly. Magister Firespark started speaking when Amber had gotten close enough to make out all the words. "I don't believe, you know. The mercenary, he might not be the shining knight of Castle Starsound, but he is better than most of your men."

_They're speaking of Jespar, I know it. At least, Firespark is._ "If we're speaking of who I think we are, and you're going to say what I hope you will, Magister, I wholeheartedly agree." Amber said as she ascended the steps into a room lined with books where the Magister and Grandmaster were speaking.

Firespark gave his young apprentice a brief smile and continued on. "Like I was saying, I want him, and you will need to convince your Truchessa of it."

"Well, if this mercenary has support from the both of you, how could I possible refuse…? I will convince her, you have my word."

"Good." The Magister greeted Amber more formally, now. "Umber! Good to see you. Due to the recent change of things, I think we will be delaying some of your classes. Don't worry, you will still be able to learn, but now you have much more important matters to deal with."

Amber ignored the mispronunciation of her name and smiled graciously. "Of course, Magister. I look forward to our next session."

"As do I," The Grandmaster said, finally starting to walk down the steps, leaving Amber and Arantheal alone.

"Prophetess, it is good to see you. How do you feel?" The Grandmaster asked.

"After some much needed water, a time to stretch my legs, and a long conversation with my fellow Pathless, much better than when I woke up. Still have a bloody headache and am recovering from a sobering visit into my own mind." The Prophetess answered.

"You have never been in any danger. If I had doubted your abilities, even to the slightest, I would have never spoken out for you."

"Except to have me kicked off Temple grounds."

The stony face of the Grandmaster cracked a bit at that remark. "In any case, all that is left to do now is to recite the oath. Then we will finally deal with the more urgent matters."

"Forgive my bluntness, but what will I be swearing on? The dead Gods? My loyalty to the Order?"

"None of it. You will see."

Amber's eyebrow raised at that one. It fell a moment after. She breathed in deeply and sighed. The world smelled like musty tomes and burned wax. "Alright. I'm ready when you are."

"The ceremony needs a little preparation, one day at least. Come back then. Even if it hurts to lose more time… The Cleansing approaches, I can feel it. Just this night, I had another of the dreams."

"What did you see in it?" Amber asked.

"People I knew… including you. But these people weren't themselves… there was something else and it spoke through them. They mocked us and said our struggle against the Cycle was pointless. It was… peculiar. I believe that these beings are connected to the Cycle. They must be the ones who cause it."

"So, you had the same dream too? I thought I was the only one. They told me I was pathetic, worthless, and should just give up and turn away." Amber said.

"Very interesting that you had a dream so similar to mine… It must have something to do with our roles as Emissaries. Maybe, there is a connection between us."

"Plausible. We'd need to investigate it further if we want to be sure, but it's a possible theory as is. Anyways, do you know who these beings could be?"

"None. Maybe they are… demons, or magical entities of some kind. But they are different from everything I know. In any case, if they are indeed responsible for the Cycle, they are our enemies - that's what matters for now."

"Grandmaster?" Amber wondered. She had a question or two on her mind before she was ready to take her leave and find something to do for a day.

"Yes?" Tealor replied.

"These visions I have, these… 'Echoes from the Future' - how exactly does it work?" Amber asked. It was unlikely that he knew, but it was worth a try.

"As I said before, my knowledge of that is limited. But if it helps you, imagine that it is a way of perceiving that which connects us all - our subconscious."

"You mean where dreams originate from? The collective subconscious of mankind?"

"Yes. You know, most people perceive themselves as an entity separate from the rest of the world. And while this is partially true, there is something that connects us all… Dark corners of our mind, bridges, to which we, in a conscious state, do not have access to. But you do not need to be supernaturally gifted to feel that these bridges exist. I am sure you have experienced it yourself, one time or another: A moment where you knew exactly what another person thought or would do next. People with close blood ties can especially feel this connection… children and their mothers, siblings, and especially twins."

"Come to think of it, I have encountered a few occasions where I knew exactly what was going to happen, and it all did." Amber said thoughtfully. "So, that means that humanity is connected somehow?"

"Correct. And while most people hardly feel this connection at all, as if looking through a tinted window, to you, it is wide open during your visions."

"If that's the case, how do you explain that I can see the memories of the Pyreans, too? They've been dead since before anyone alive can remember."

"Their bodies may be, but the traces they left behind still remain. Everything that was, everything that is, and everything that is to come - it already exists, in the sea of eventualities. This is the base principle of magic. And time, time is not a straight line… Only the barriers of our mind makes us perceive it as such. Visions, premonitions, dreams that become reality - these are all leftovers of waves from other eventualities that spill over into our reality. There have always been people to read them, but none is as good at it as you are, thanks to the Echo."

"Hm, interesting. If I have more questions, I will ask you them in the near future. I do have something to mention, though." Amber said, thinking back to her journey through the tainted Heartland and the vision she saw on the bridge.

"Yes, what is it?" Tealor asked, his hands folding across his chest.

Amber breathed in a deep breath and exhaled much of it. "On my way to the ritual grounds Calia, Dunwar, and I performed the trial on, I had a vision. It… it was Master Batarr's voice, but he was talking about some man named Caorek… how he would have done… something to the city, Ark, I think he was speaking of, and doing something that he regrets."

"Who is this man, Caorek?"

"I don't know, Grandmaster. If I did, I'd tell you, but the vision was sparse and what I could hear had other voices clashing with it. My visions are never clear, always muddled and hard to determine."

Arantheal scratched his chin for a few moments, fingers raking through his beard, before he looked back at Amber and said simply, "Come back tomorrow for the ceremony. I've got some things to think about."

"I will, Grandmaster." Amber said before walking out of the room, outside the Emporium and into the rain the heavens brought down upon them.


	19. Residency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is officially the longest chapter I've ever written, which is pretty cool. Next chapter should be out in a week but since I'll be traveling soon, it might be the week after that you receive a chapter. If so, my sincerest apologies.

As she walked out into the rain, she heard footsteps behind her, as if someone was running. She turned around to see a small boy run up to her. "Finally, I caught up with you. Here you go, mydame, a letter."

Amber reached into her purse and pulled out a tiny handful of pennies and gave them to the small boy. "Thanks, kid."

"Th-thank you so much! That's very generous of you!" The kid replied with a short, elegant bow.

"I try." The kid ran off before she could even say 'Walk blessed'.

She clutched the letter in her hands, a few spatters of rain smacking into it before she tucked it away in her satchel. Important letters needed to be legible if she hadn't read them already. No sooner had she done that when someone called out from the ever-darkening day.

"There you are!" It was a young man's voice, instantly recognizable as a Novice by his damp, red robes. He grabbed Amber by the arm and started pulling her away from the middle of the Temple grounds. "It's about bloody time I found you! Been looking all over since I heard you woke up."

"What do you want from me?" Amber asked. Her sword felt tight against her hip.

"Want _from_ you?" The man repeated. "There's nothing I 'want from you', I've simply been instructed to show you to your private chamber - as well as furnish it - so that it's befitting of a Master. Or, in your case, Prophetess." His tone was mostly annoyed. Looking at him, she could see why. He was almost soaked to the bone, his short orange hair falling in front of his eyes.

His footsteps, muffled by the rain, made their way to the Temple Quarters, where she had stayed before. "Why do I get my own personal living space?" Amber asked, her voice nearly swallowed by the constant water falling from the sky.

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure, actually. Probably because of your new status. An odd feeling, isn't it? To get to call a place home? I assume, as a Pathless, you wouldn't see much place to stay that you could call your own - let alone a place indoors."

Amber was pleased to note that there wasn't any malice detectable in his voice. "No, I can't say I have…"

"Well, I hope that you are pleased with what I've done with it." The man said, a little pleased with himself. "I was essentially given a bunch of things to choose from and was told to 'make a room appealing to a hero'. Not an easy task, mind you, but I believe I hit the nail with the hammer, so to speak."

They walked into the dry, warm open room of the Quarters, several Novices enjoying a heated meal and a song played by a rather attractive woman. Amber and the Novice walked down the hallway off to the left of the main hall and down to the very end. There, a thin room could be found with a door that looked like all the others.

"This is it," he said, extending his hand to point at the door. Amber raised an eyebrow at him and opened it up. Inside, a fancy rug had been laid down, a chest was off to her right and a bed sat at the end of the room with a small window looking out into the grasses of the Temple. Torches danced like fireflies through the window. The room was stuffed with almost anything that seemed to fit. A small, waist-high dresser had been set closest to the door with some perishables set on it alongside some maed and ale. Above it was a strongbox and a row of books filled with a detailed history of the Order, the many Paths, a book containing the Holy Verses, and other Enderalean history themed books.

A chair sat beside the dresser in case she wanted to get some reading done and a backpack sat next to that, filled with a few things like spare potions, a mortar and pestle, some spare cloth, and a small bottle of wine. On the other side, there was a small, oval mirror and a thin basin of water sat atop a pedestal with a small note written in fine calligraphy, " _To wash off all the dust the road kicks up._ " Right beside that was a wide bookshelf with food and alchemical ingredients at the bottom, a row of potions at the top, and books in the middle.

The stack of books was filled with more books speaking of real things, like a brief explanation of magic, a geographical overlook of Enderal, individual books that explained the different forms of magic, and the small, lined row of books to the left of the stack were fictional tales like the ones she used to read as a child, when she wasn't busy foraging the city for misplaced food.

A big crate of potions, mainly ones that induced mild regenerative effects, was at the bottom of the bookshelf, leaning up against the chest. Inside the chest was nothing, not even cobwebs, but just behind it laid a sword Amber had seen enough times in the past few weeks to recognize it instantly; a sword worn by Keepers of the Order. Hanging above the chest and sword was a kite shield belonging to the same religious group, the rim of it solid steel and in the middle sat an all-seeing eye, waving beams of light radiating off it, with a sword plunged behind it. The paint, red on one half, white on the other, was brand new and looked fresh, as if it had been done that very day.

Several extra pillows sat where they needed to be by the bed, a red-and-gold banner of the Keeper's sigil behind the bed's head. A box of wine had been placed at the foot of the bed, under a thin shelf with two lit candlestick on either side of it. A nicely-sized painting was at the end of the bed, close to the ceiling. It displayed red and green trees on either side of a flowing river, puffy clouds stagnantly drifting in the distance.

The Novice had walked alongside Amber as she studied the room she could call hers, taking pride when she flipped through books and gently shook a few of the potions, or studied the painting and new weaponry. "It was a pain to bring everything here since it was all placed just outside the Chronicum, but seeing your reaction, I daresay it was worth it."

Amber looked up at him and couldn't help but smile. "Well, for what it's worth, I love it. You've done an excellent job at making this place feel like a home for a hero."

The Novice beamed. "Thank you, Prophetess! You saying that is worth the world." He gave a final look over everything before walking to the door. "Well, enjoy your new room, courtesy of the Order, meticulously perfected by yours truly. Have a great evening."

"You too!" Amber said as he closed the door. She heard his footsteps as he walked into the dining hall and walked over, pressing her ear to the door.

"So, how did it go with the Prophetess?" A woman asked.

"Great, I think! She was really pleased with the room."

"Nilian 'the Homemaker'... Eh, not really a heroic nickname, is it?"

"Perhaps not, but I got to do a service for both the Grandmaster and the Prophetess, which is more than either of you can say." Nilian replied.

"I'm not sure about her, honestly. Sure, she's pretty, beautiful, even, but she's Pathless. And Kiléan."

"Got a problem with people from the Belt, Arnel?" The woman asked. She sounded a little surprised.

"No, no! Just, I mean, she's a foreigner in a country that's stagnating and I heard she's becoming a Keeper!"

"Aren't both the Pathless girls here getting exalted? The Outlander and…" Nilian paused for a moment. "Uh… what's her name…? Black hair, tattoo on her cheek?" Nilian asked.

"I swear to Malphas, I know her name started with the letter 'c'. Or was it a 'k'? Anyways, yeah, both of 'em are gonna get exalted tomorrow or something." The woman answered.

"Thirty pennies says they're gonna fuck," the Arnel singsonged.

"You pig," Nilian said. " _I_ say she's got enough on her plate that romance won't happen, at least not until whatever has been happening is all over."

"Pfft, prude. Not like you didn't think about having sex with her, Nil. Good thing you're wearing those robes…" Arnel was becoming a little grating to Amber's ears.

"No such thing occurred, you harlot. So, Mel, you got anything to say?"

The woman, Mel, spoke. "Yeah, I think you should both leave the girl alone and think about something else. You especially, Arnel."

"I swear, Melyssa, you're the least fun person here…"

Conversation died there. Their conversation had brought her to blush a bit. She banished the unchaste thoughts quickly as she stripped, dressed in some lighter clothing, and climbed into bed. There, she rummaged through her satchel and grabbed the letter that had been given to her. It was still a bit damp in some sections where the rain had pummeled it, but overall it maintained itself. She opened it up and was pleased to note that the ink didn't bleed.

_My fair lady,_

_Congratulations on passing your trial! You already know how I feel about those Redcloaks and their, let's say, 'superior attitude', but still, it would rob me of my sleep to know that I didn't congratulate you in person._

_Should your holy duties allow it, meet me at the old watchtower at the western gate of Ark. The one we walked through some weeks ago._

_Cordially,_

_Jespar_

The signature was what really got her. She would have smothered the letter in her chest, if she wasn't afraid of crumpling it. Jespar was here in Enderal! Still! He hadn't left, or at least, he had come back to Enderal quite soon after he left. She wasn't sure what she would do when she actually met him. Perhaps slap him for telling her he was leaving and then not doing so. Maybe hug him since he was there and didn't leave her. Maybe a combination of the two, one after the other to mess with his head.

She was just completely overjoyed that her friend was still around. Her first friend in Enderal, and her new life. She set the note aside and drifted off to sleep, thinking of all the things she'd say with Jespar and all the positive improvements in her life.

In the morning, her eyes opened wide with excitement. She looked out the window and could see that there were pink-bellied clouds where the sun was rising and the soft pattering of rain could still be heard, much fainter than the night previous, however. Amber practically leaped out of bed, excited to see Jespar and tell him… everything that had happened since the day they departed in the Dancing Nomad. About her training, the Trial, her new friend…

Her new friend… Memories of Sirius burned in her mind, then. It brought her mood down. She thought for a moment longer and then decided that before she would go and see Jespar, she would give Sirius a proper funeral. She dressed herself in a well designed sapphire-coloured shirt with long sleeves that nearly consumed her hands and a pair of simple yet rather elegant pants. Her armour was sitting in sort of a lump by the chest she she straightened that out and let it dry properly, then grabbed her sword and belt and put that on, taking her satchel with a few important things in it like what money she had on her along.

She walked out of the Quarters as ready as she ever would be to say goodbye to an old friend and hello to a new one. The gates opened for her as she walked out and gave a short greeting and farewell to the book-Keeper with her thin tome standing on a wooden pedestal. The woman just shook her head, not in an unkind way.

The short journey through the guard's tower that functioned as much a base as a passage between the Sun Temple and the Barrack Quarter was not unpleasant, yet many gave Amber odd looks or even looks of disdain, which was not unexpected. Prophetess or not, she was still Pathless. And an outlander. Her skin was an easy way to pick her out and when she spoke, it was all too easy for even the most ignorant of people to know that she wasn't from Enderal.

She walked up the road and to what looked to be a temple nestled under the massive stone mountain the Sun Temple sat on, walking up the small number of steps and then along a thin, brick walkway with iron bars pointing to the sky on one side. When she walked in, no one was in the Temple at the time aside from an aged priest in bright orange robes, adjusting flowers and coins left at the feet of a grand statue that Amber had seen back in the Sanctum.

The priest slowly stood and turned to see who had walked in. "Welcome to the Temple of Malphas, child. How may I help you?"

Amber sucked in a deep breath and sighed, deeply. This was a long time coming. She felt a little ashamed for not doing this earlier. "I was wondering if you could perform burial rites for a good friend of mine who passed away a few weeks ago."

"Of course, child. Do you have any remnants of him with you?"

"No, I… I don't. Nothing except for memories."

The priest dipped his head understandingly. "Of course. There is time for this right now, if you would like it done?"

"Y-yes. That would be preferred. I would have liked to come here sooner, but I… I got a little distracted with everything going on."

"That is fine. With all the civil wars, the Red Madness, and all else, it is easy to become sidetracked and forget important things that must be done. Malphas' holy light can still be blessed upon the fallen, so do not worry." He walked off and picked up a small, red flower from a pot growing them close to the statue and placed it at Malphas' feet. "Malphas bless this lost soul, a body long gone, unfound by the world. Rid this soul of their worldly suffering and allow them peace. Peace eternal."

Amber waited for several moments, eyes closed, solemn, before speaking once more. "Is that all?"

"Yes, child, that is all. I will continue to pray for your friend when you have left, but your presence is no longer required."

Amber nodded, realized he still wasn't looking, and then made her way out of the temple. She began walking her way down the steps and through the increasingly busy streets of Ark, passing by dozens of faces, children running through the streets chasing cats and rats and other children, beggars being escorted somewhere else, probably the Undercity, by guards, and a multitude of other activities that she couldn't possibly keep track of.

She walked to the massive gate that was the first place she had walked through to enter Ark, some two and a half weeks ago. She saw a familiar face there, recognized as the guard who had let her when she first walked into the city and out of the wilderness. "Hello, mydame, seeking to leave Ark?"

"For a time, yes." Amber replied.

"Be careful, because there is all manner of evil in the rest of Enderal. Many towns and cities have their roads patrolled, but… just be careful, is all I'm getting at."

"I'll do my best. Thank you, and walk blessed." Amber said.

The guard replied with the same two-word quote and ordered the gates to be opened. They creaked and groaned, but in less than half a minute they were open and ready to let Amber pass through them. She walked outside and saw beggars and refugees of all kinds huddled at the gate and many guards preventing them from entering the city. She didn't know exactly why, nor did she have any right to get involved, so she just moved past the crowd. She felt empathy for them, of course, being in a similar position for the majority of her life.

Something tugged at her heart and drew her back to the crowd. Or at least, a guard standing by the side of another, holding onto an unfurled scroll, reading it out in a loud, prominent voice to the people trying to enter the city. "Why can't they enter the city?" She asked the guard in front of her.

He looked at her with a deadpan face. "They're not allowed to enter because many don't have any reason to enter the city. Some are Pathless and would be moved to the Undercity and many others have left their own town, city, or village for Ark. Currently, no such threat is present enough that would give us reason to allow the masses into a city already near-to-bursting."

"Is there nothing that can be done for them?" Amber asked.

The guard shrugged. "We try to hand out food and water every day, but this can't keep up. They need to go home, ultimately, but we don't have the authority to force them to leave."

He turned his attention away from her and back to the beggars and people fleeing the civil strife from the rest of Enderal. Some were already starting to turn back as more were starting to walk up and wonder what was going on. Amber moved past them all and walked along the bridge that led to the old watchtower and Jespar. It was unfortunate that she couldn't help, but there were many things outside of her reach.

It took some time. Roughly ten minutes or so, before she made it to the watchtower. Jespar was nowhere to be seen, but she assumed her was inside it rather than outside, due to the small amount of rain that grew less and less as time moved on. The sounds of the harbour were close and the taste of salt in the air was powerful, yet not unwelcome. She walked up to the watchtower and immediately noticed a bedroll set down under the stairs with an old chest backed up against the wall. The ground of the watchtower was dirt, but it was well-trampled and flattened almost entirely.

By the time she had made it there, it had to be later than noon, despite not being able to see the sun. The rain was slowing but the sound of the constant flowing of the water from under the bridge down a sharp fall into the wide river below was constant. She stepped inside the watchtower and saw a familiar face off to the side.

"Ah, there you are! I'm glad to see the courier brought the letter successfully and that you made it here."

She stood stupid for a half-second before walking over and hugging him, wrapping her arms around him tightly and just enjoying the relative silence for a short time. "Never tell me you're leaving again." She said softly. "I don't care what happens, or how it happens. Who's responsible or not. Never tell me what you did all those nights ago."

Jespar laughed. "Did it affect you that much, my lady? If I had known, I doubt I would have said such a thing. But I had every intention of leaving when I told you about it. But, I changed my mind for one reason or another. Hey, let's go upstairs and watch the world from on high. It'll be worth it."

Amber followed him up the stairs and up a small ladder that led to the roof. Above, there were some braziers lit and the sun was beginning to show through the clouds, relatively high in the sky, but starting its sink down behind the mountains. They still had a few hours until sunset.

"There we are," he said as he walked over to a small crate of wine he had set down. "So, wine or pipe?"

"Uh, wine sounds good, thanks. Seems more celebratory, don't you think?"

"I agree. We've got Tirmatralean brandy, aged eighty-one-ninety. A real treasure for you, since you passed the trial and all." He leaned up against one of the battlements as Amber poured herself a tankard of wine, drinking it slowly. "Ah… there's nothing quite like a good pipe and a great view to go along with it. It's always sad to see how few people can truly appreciate these things."

"I agree. I'd do it more often, but… I've had a lot on my plate in the past few weeks." Amber said as she drunk a bit more.

"And you're going to tell me all about it, right?" Jespar said with a tiny smile.

"You know it," Amber said as she looked around and enjoyed the view.

"So, I've been meaning to ask… How was the trial? I've heard a number of stories about it and was never sure what to make of them. Since you have firsthand experience, I figured you'd know."

"I… I can't speak for anyone else, but it was… odd. Sobering, perhaps. Creepy, too. I was trapped in a… prison, I suppose, with long and winding hallways and tortured souls all around me. Some guy, Aixon, a coward and demoralizer was following me around and telling me to go back and give up every now and then. Finally, I got so angry at him for being the way he is that I just walked over and slashed him with the blade I wielded. Turns out, he was the one keeping me trapped and I was allowed to escape that way. Calia never told me what her trial was like."

"And I'll just assume Calia is a Novice. Was she the only one you did the trail with?"

"No, there was one other… Dunwar. He didn't pass, however. At least, not yet, but no one's really filled with hope that he'll succeed." Amber refilled her tankard. "Anyways, at least Calia made it, too. I'm not sure what I would have thought if I was the only one who made it."

"I bet. Sounds like Calia is strong-willed like you are."

"She is. Probably more so than I am. She's… I don't know… Different than the other Novices I met. She's like me, in some respects. She's Pathless, too, just like I am and therefore a bit of an outsider. She dislikes being around people and she's not really open with many people and when she is, it seems like she has to be. I… again, I don't really know about her, but I think in the weeks to come, she'll be a strong and much needed ally."

"I'm glad to hear it. So, if I may ask, you said you were quite busy over the past weeks. Care to elaborate?"

"I suppose I can." Amber paused and thought of the right words to say. She stopped drinking her brandy, feeling it affecting her a bit. "So, you know those old children stories about heroes who face off against impossible odds?"

"Yeah, of course I do."

"As it turns out, I'm destined to be that hero. And my quest is to stop this event called the Cycle, which is supposed to render humanity extinct. I don't know how, and I don't know why I was picked, but here I am, carrying the world on my shoulders."

Jespar scratched thoughtfully at his chin. "So this Cycle… how does it wipe out humanity?"

"I don't know. I don't think even Tealor knows. I'd assume it's magical in origin, but how it can render the entirety of humanity, every single one of us, dead is beyond my knowledge."

"That's… a lot to take in, really. When I had pulled you out of that thicket, I never expected I'd also be pulling out the saviour of humanity."

"Thanks, but I'm no hero yet. I've just been given a fancy title, 'Prophetess', and am told about two of my 'powers'. One is that I can learn things in a fraction of the time it would take anyone else, and two, I can see both into the future and the past. Not when I really chose to, right now at the very least, but I am something like a time traveller."

Jespar couldn't help but smile a bit. "Friends with the soon-to-be saviour of humanity. My luck exceeds me. You can tell me all about that later, but I have a question for you, my fair lady."

"Ask away."

"What is it that drives you? I've been asking myself that since the day we met, back on the Sun Coast. I mean, it's not like anyone is forcing you to play errand girl for Arantheal is there? And with your abilities that you have explained to me, and that I've heard a bit of due to proximity, you could make an absolute fortune as a mercenary. Not to mention the danger you have put yourself in. Securing an excavation site, passing the trial… they certainly haven't been giving you an easy time of it, have they?"

"Well, I don't know. Being told you're going to be a hero is a good motivator, especially because of my Ostian days. And if this Cycle is as real as Tealor believes it is, it has to be fought. It has to be defeated."

"Hm, that makes sense." Jespar said. "In any case, it's interesting to see how you've gone from a magically gifted refugee in the middle of nowhere to the hero of the world. Kind of reminds me of a woman I used to travel and work with… Lysia was her name. No matter where she went, she always ended up in the eye of the storm. That was… thirteen years ago now," he shook the disbelief from his face. "By the Wise Hermit, time really is merciless."

"So this woman, Lysia, how did you end up travelling with her?"

"We got hired for the same job, funnily enough. Usually I work better on my own, but this partnership was refreshing, in every aspect. It felt good to know someone's got your back for a change, especially with the kind of work I do. Which is why we decided to stick together after that first job. And it went great, at least, initially."

"What happened, if I may ask?"

"I'm already telling you the story, so no harm in asking for more. She was just too… intense, that's the right word for it, I suppose. She wanted everything, and she wanted it all at once. The rarest jewels, the most handsome men, the best contracts… If you would've asked her to steal the Golden Queen's crown, she would have done it without hesitation, just for the thrill of it."

"So… were you a couple during that time?" Amber asked. She went to get herself more brandy.

"We traveled together and we had sex, so yes, according to the general definition of the term, we were a couple."

Amber couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy for Lysia, but the feeling swiftly passed. "So, what happened to her? She's obviously not with you anymore, or else I'd have seen her."

"No, she is not with me now, so I'll tell you. You see, from our… partnership, she started expecting more from it. Much more. That is, our talks and the occasional sex. As she saw it, you either go all the way or not at all. I wasn't ready for that."

"So she… asked for your hand in marriage or something? Or did she just plainly want something serious like love?"

"Love as she defined it, yeah. Had it been for her, we would have we would have married that first night!"

"So was that something you ever wanted? Or even thought about wanting?"

"That's a… long, arduous story that doesn't really put me in good light, at least if you're like most people. Let's just save that for another time, yeah? Anyways, we… split up, I suppose you could say. It's certainly one way to put it. What about you? Has there ever been someone in your life? Or have you always been a lone wolf?"

She thought back through all the years of her life. Did she ever feel that sense of affection for anyone? She had never been with anyone intimately before, nor did she really have any time for such an activity with survival being the major occupant of her time. But now? It was something she could start taking seriously. "No, not yet. But is there a subtext I'm missing here?" _Not that I'd mind, I think,_ she said to herself.

Jespar huffed, an almost-laugh. "Not that one was originally intended, but now it has been brought to light. Can't two good-looking adventurers just spend an evening having a nice chat and watch the world go by without implications? All jokes aside, though, if you're attempting what I think you are, I'm afraid I'll have to pass."

"Oh, smitten by someone else, now? Was it that serving girl from the tavern that won you over?"

"Samara? No, I-... I don't know. Maybe the entire thing with Lysia is enough for me. Sex is fine, but I guess I'm just not… naive enough for anything else, anymore. Love, love, love… People have such lofty expectations of it these days, really. Sometimes I think it would help us all to admit there isn't that much that separates us from the apes."

The brandy got to her then and made her say something openly brash and utterly stupid. "Who says I'm looking for anything binding?" The still-rational part of her mind hated her for saying that. No, she wasn't looking for anyone right now and even though, hypothetically, it might be nice, she still wasn't really interested.

"Now is that you or the vintage speaking? As attractive as you are, I… It just wouldn't feel right… I don't know why. Now come on, let's not make things unnecessarily awkward, shall we? We're here and having a good talk, isn't that enough for the moment?"

She set down her tankard again and put the cork back on the brandy. "It is. I guess too much alcohol just lowers my ability to be an 'upstanding citizen'."

"Which can be a bad thing if done in front of the wrong people."

"Good thing you aren't the wrong person, then."

Jespar smiled a little. "Anyways, I think we should go back to Calia, seeing as you're more willing to speak what's on your mind, as it were. What do you think about her?"

She thought for a few moments and then began speaking again, watching the sun start to dip behind the mountains. "I… I don't know. Physically, she's very attractive although I never really focused on anything more than her face. But she's… quiet and isolated. Likes to be alone and while she was willing to tell me a lot about herself yesterday… I don't know. Lengthy conversations don't seem to be her strength."

"Do you have feelings for her?"

"Not that I'm aware of, at least not in the sense that you've implied. As a friend, yeah, she's definitely that. But I only met her two or three days ago, so I doubt anything has formed beyond that in such a short amount of time. Just… she seems a reliable individual that I can count as an ally in the weeks to come." She paused for a bit, thinking of more to say. "I think Magister Firespark is going to try and hire you again."

Jespar pulled out his pipe and began smoking it again. "I think so, too. He can't speak anyone's name right but he's a genius and understands the importance of relying on more than just Redcloaks. Plus, he pays quite nicely. Something you'd be great at if you tried."

"I uh, I don't know if I'd be great at mercenary work. Combat, while something I'm at least decent at isn't something I really enjoy doing, and the thought of wandering all over doing various tasks of killing doesn't sound all that appealing."

"Your concept of it is a little flawed. Many times, the job can be done within the city you take it in. It's not like a bandit bounty you have to go to some old and reclaimed fortress so you can kill some people, it's often a really local job. If it isn't, the pay is either great or not even as much as it would cost to go there."

"Maybe. Still, doesn't sound like something I'd do. They can often be against the law, and while I did that for a time, at some point I said 'Never again'."

"Oh? Why did you do that?"

"I was locked in jail," Amber said simply, leaning against the battlements and staring out to the harbour. "Was caught stealing some valuable items at some market stall and was promptly arrested. Damn near lost my hand but I chose the prison sentence instead and sat in some old, musty, room for over half a year until I was released, under nourished and penniless."

"How did you survive that? Did you take up a job?"

"Sort of. I was going back to my 'steal for food' routine and avoided taking anything more than what I needed to live on since I couldn't just live without stealing since no one would hire me for anything and I never wanted to risk being locked away again if they'd even let me have that. More like they'd just chop my hand off and throw me back out onto the streets if I was caught again. Somehow, I met Sirius. Don't know exactly when and we fell into that crime organization I told you about. The one Sirius and I worked on in the outermost fringes."

"Where you and he took some loans and then eventually decided to leave Nehrim?"

"Yes, that one. Kept to working for low-lying fruit, never doing anything really illegal. Was a serving girl for a time, but that never really suited me. I didn't appreciate all the stares men gave me. They were all strangers, unclean, half murderers and the other half criminals of some other kind. So, I left that and alongside Sirius, we spent a few months begging alongside the streets and soon enough boarded our first ship to Enderal. And you know how it goes from there."

"Yes, that I do. You've told me that story and I remember like you told it to me only an hour ago."

"Good, because I doubt I'd be able to retell it as well as I did back then. Already feels like a lifetime ago."

They continued talking for a time after that, shifting from one topic to another as Amber let the brandy lose its grip over her and her actions, turning back to who she was at the beginning of their meeting. Their topics shifted soon enough into morality and philosophy, what they thought and offering new insights to one another to think about. But one thing was truly clear. Jespar was staying in Enderal, and he'd be at Amber's side.

"Hm… That's just life, I think. There comes a point where you've just done all you can." He took the time to yawn and Amber looked around, noticing the sky was filled with twilight and the first of a few stars. "My, my, we've certainly lost track of time, haven't we? I really need to get some sleep for now so I can find work tomorrow and I heard of a nobleman in need of a sellsword. That is if Arantheal or old Bushy Beard doesn't have a new job for me by then. Say what you want about them, but the pay is beyond generous."

"Guess that's the kind of things you can afford when you're paying directly from a national treasury," Amber said.

"Indeed. I'll see you around, my fair lady." Jespar said as Amber took the hint and made her way to the ladder, grabbing the bottle of brandy as she left. She left the watchtower almost unwillingly until she remembered the ceremony for their exaltation would be done by now and she had to attend.

She began to pick up her pace across the bridge, taking one last wistful look at the sunset now nothing but a pale green glow against a sea of twilight and burgeoning stars beginning to shine and made her way past the gates and back into Ark.


	20. Pariahs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, it's released! On time-ish. Off by a few hours. Oh well. Just glad I finished it the day I was supposed to. My apologies for the lack of an update last week, I was off on a trip. Production should fully resume to the weekly schedule I try to hold myself to.
> 
> To make for the lack of last week's update, however, I present, from our resident reader Xhivae, art of Amber! She's fantastically done and I couldn't be more grateful! The picture can be found at the bottom of the chapter. Enjoy!

Filled with a small sense of anxiety over possibly missing the exaltation ceremony, Amber made her way through the barren Foreign Quarter as the sun faded behind her. One of the many guards wandering or standing around gave Amber a small greeting but otherwise seemed disinterested in speaking her. Good, meant she could get to the Sun Temple sooner.

She climbed the steps up to her destination and passed through the gate into the next Quarter. The guard there simply opened the door, letting her pass. A tiny 'Walked blessed' was uttered that Amber thought about responding to, but ultimately decided against it. She was in a rush and she didn't have time to be idly chatting with the city watch. She walked up the path and heard the familiar swings of a sword into a sack of straw vaguely resembling a person and hearing someone encouraging and criticising the individual swinging. Amber simply made her way past the people there and into the military barrack. She walked up the stairs quickly while also trying to maintain her energy. Her body felt a bit sluggish from the brandy, but ultimately she'd be fine. She had made it that far and it didn't affect her judgment, unlike during her talk with Jespar.

She cringed and bit her tongue every time she thought of what she had said. Did she  _ have _ to admit that she had feelings for Jespar? They weren't even as present as she had probably made them out to seem. A faint ember of affection in a stiff breeze of world-saving. She was shaking her head the entire time she walked up the stairs that would take her to the top of the barrack and at the bottom of the Sun Temple.  _ Stupid, stupid, stupid. _ The darkened sky and the million stars that started to show themselves was proof enough that she had simply spent too much time speaking with Jespar.

A mistake? No, she wouldn't say so. Improper time allocation? Probably, she admitted to herself. The dim street lights brought small comfort to her as she walked the almost treacherously thin walkway up to the Sun Temple. Too strong a breeze and over the edge she would go… Amber couldn't help but wonder at how many people lost their lives falling off the Sun Temple. She did her best to stop wondering.

The magnificent walls of the Sun Temple looked as grand as they always did, standing high with two flowing streams of water on each side of the massive, impending gate with an eye in its very center. She looked at it with awe for a few moments before shaking herself in preparation for what she knew to be her exaltation. The massive doors shuddered and opened for her as she walked up the steps, everyone knowing what important time it was, whether they approved of it or not. She saw people moving into the Sanctum like she was and made her way through the doors to the building, finding herself in the warm glow of candles instead of the slow, twinkling stars that had sat above her head.

She made her way up the stairs as soon as she could. Calia was standing there by the fountain. "Good thing you showed up. The Grandmaster was becoming a little impatient."

"Sorry, sorry, I was… celebrating with a good friend of mine." Amber explained. When she looked down at herself, a bit in embarrassment, she noticed she wasn't in any proper attire. Still, her now slightly brandy-stained shirt while Calia stood in a suit of heavy armour, vastly different from all other kinds she had seen Keepers wear. Suppose with the end of the world hanging overhead, fashion was the least of their worries.

"Don't have to explain to me. I'm just glad you made it in time. Another hour…" Calia shook her head. "Anyway, come on and let's not keep the Grandmaster waiting."

The two Pathless soon-to-be Keepers walked between the rows of the Sanctum, making their way to the front of the giant statue of Malphas and where Tealor stood in front of it, as tall and impending as the statue itself.

"It is time. Come forward, both of you." He gave a sharp nod to the two women as they made their way to him, Calia gracefully falling to her knees to the left of the Grandmaster and Amber followed her example. He lifted his head from the women in front of him and addressed the crowd. "I know what you are all thinking. Mistrust, anger, betrayal. I expected them all, for this is the first time the Order will have ever give a Pathless, a foreigner, and a stranger to many, the Holy Consecration.

"I'm sure you all consider it a treason against our Chapter, and therefore against us all. And you are correct, it is true that traditions, maintaining how we have functioned for millennia has strengthened the Order. We have ruled this land for thousands of years, and for all that time we have prevailed. And I know what has happened in the last two years have been more than unsettling. We are in a crisis, and yes, our foundation seems to be shattered… and now you all believe that I profane even what little is left by consecrating a pathless one.

"But you are wrong. It was always people who have given strength to the Order, people like you and I. Yes, we did serve the Lightborn - but because they embodied an idea. The idea of peace through stability. And even now, after their demise, we will and have continued to pursue this idea. We are facing a threat that endangers the entire world as we know it. And to fight it, we need one thing above all else: the embodiment of others: the readiness to make sacrifices for the greater good. This woman, like novice Sakaresh, has displayed this readiness. She is talented and has a gift, and thus carries responsibility. And instead of running from this responsibility, like others have done in their own lives, she has faced it. She found us. She passed the Holy Trial, like all others embraced as Brothers and Sisters of the Order, and is therefore worthy of joining our ranks."

He focused his gaze away from the people looking on and down to Amber and Calia. "Consecrated ones - repeat my words." He drew in a breath and exhaled slowly. "This is the day when my old Self dies away, for I shall receive the Sigil."

"This is the day when my old Self dies away, for I shall receive the Sigil." The two of them repeated.

"From now on, I live to protect, by sword and mind, the Path, my land, and those who are without strength." He carried on.

"From now on, I live to protect, by sword and mind, the Path, my land, and those who are without strength."

"Until death absolves me of my duty."

"Until death absolves me of my duty."

Tealor drew in a breath. "Thus, you are elevated as Keepers of the First Sigil. Rise." They both stood, facing away from the crowd. "Now, let us all recite the holy words."

Everyone, aside from Amber, spoke in unison, for she did not know the words to recite. "Thou art my light, my glimmer at the horizon. Thy name is my sacrament, and thy Path I will honour in life… as in death. May your light guide me." He once again addressed the crowd behind the two newly-minted Keepers. "Leave now, Brothers and Sisters and rest. We will need our strength."

Calia walked off to the sidelines and waited as Tealor addressed Amber directly. "Go and receive your new armours at the temple's forge. It was specifically designed with you in mind, partially to complement your sword and also to suit you as a proper Keeper. After that, meet me at the Emporium. There is news."

"I will see you there."

"Walked blessed," Tealor said before walking off to the Emporium, Amber thought.

Amber walked over to Calia. "So, that's that. We're Keepers now, Calia."

"And so we are. It feels… strange." There was a half-smile of relief and joy across her face.

"To become a Keeper, after all this time?"

"Yes, kind of. You know, for the past several years I have lived for this moment… and now I'm here. It's peculiar."

"It is. I know how it feels. I've waited for years for a moment like this, too."

"Oh? What moment was that?"

"The moment when I finally became  _ somebody. _ Anyway, I have armour to go pick up and a Grandmaster to speak with. I'll see you around, Sakaresh."

"You too, Amber." She thought for a moment and then asked the small Kiléan a question. "What's your last name?" She called out.

"Don't have one," Amber said before making her way down the steps and past the fountain. She made her way down into the candle-lit room and through the doors to find a small horde of novices standing there, bright red robes shimmering in the dim light of the outside world.

"Congratulations!" They all said at once. "While many of us had doubted your abilities, or even your worthiness, knowing that you're now a Keeper has made our minds a lot more at ease with you being here. We all just wanted to say we're proud of your achievement if that means anything to you, and most of us look forward to seeing you around, or even training or learning alongside you." They all finished with "Walked blessed" at the end before wandering off in a multitude of different directions. Nilian stayed behind, his orange hair now much drier.

"What's this odd sensation?" Amber asked.

"Recognition."

"I think I need to lie down."

"Ha ha, 'Keeper of the First Sigil'. What happens now?"

"Now? I go get myself some new armour and then I get to speak to the Grandmaster. After that, I guess I get to luxuriate the room you made for me. Thank you, again."

"You're welcome!" He beamed. "I guess I shouldn't keep you from your duties. Walk blessed, Keeper."

She walked off to the smithy with a smile wide across her face. She  _ was  _ somebody. She was Amber, Prophetess of Enderal.

The closed, confined room of the forge was as choking as ever and her skin felt like it was on fire. She was worried about the brandy she had accidentally spilled on her shirt. The sound of a hammer working a piece of metal was practically deafening. The same woman stood there, as always, behind a small counter of wood with several weapons and armours laid on top of it. "Hello, Prodigy. Not surprised to see you again. How's the sword treating you?"

"Excellent. Thank you for making it for me." Amber said lifting up the sheath to show the blacksmith the hilt of the blade once more. "I imagine that it will serve me well for many years after this."

"I certainly hope so. Regardless, I assume you're here for a new suit of armour, hm? I made that other girl a suit, too, simple stuff but very sturdy. I have a good selection of armours for you, even one I made for you specifically." She pointed to it and it was just like all other suits of armour the Keepers wore, with the bird-like helmet and the finely done lines and rims, caked with jewels and gold, except smaller so Amber could fit into it just fine. Even looking at it made her feel overburdened. "I hope it won't offend you too much, but can I have anything lighter instead?"

"I already made the suit. You can do with it what you want, but you need to take it. I  _ might _ have something for you, however." She walked off to search old storerooms and emerged with something else that looked much more comfortable to Amber's eyes. "I found this old guard suit. It's a bit dusty and I'll need to sew up the shoulder, but it looks like it's exactly your size. Maybe that's one of the reasons why it was left up here." She corrected herself. "Because it was too small for everyone else."

Amber looked at it with wide, autumn eyes. "It looks great. I can tell it's much lighter than that walking statue. How long would it be to fix it up?"

"As much time as it will take for you to move that suit out of here." The blacksmith replied, gesturing to the suit Amber had been given initially.

Amber nearly groaned and picked up as much as she could carry and began hauling it off to her room. It was exhausting and left her sweating a bit by the time she took the last piece and put it into the chest alongside the extra sword she had been given. By that time, true to the blacksmith's word, the old guard's uniform had been patched up and looked as good as new, and more importantly, like it was made for Amber. "It looks great, thank you so much!"

"You're more than welcome. Oh, and one more thing, no matter what, wearing that armour is a privilege. Remember that. Many here had to wait decades to wear something like that. Go on now, I'm sure you have much more important things waiting for you."

Amber nodded and made her way to her room to get changed. It fit incredibly well, yet was still a bit baggy for her modest, lithe body yet she didn't mind. It suited her, she thought. She looked not so dissimilar from a city guard, but also very different. The lack of a helmet, the use of her own gloves, her own finely crafted weapon, the colour of her skin… many things to tell the world that she wasn't a member of the watch. Still, she anticipated many to mistake her for one in the future. Just human nature, she supposed.

She walked out of her room with a sense of pride. She was now a Keeper, officially, and had armour to show her status. She wasn't just some common sellsword or a peasant with a weapon, she was a Keeper. The Prophetess. Someone. Just like she had always wanted.

The darkening night was starting to tell her to sleep but she made her way to the Emporium all the same. To speak with the Grandmaster. People looked at her a bit oddly, wondering about why she was wearing armour that a member of the watch would, but they kept their thoughts and opinions to themselves which she was thankful of. The less she had of people telling her that she needed to be this or that, or that 'this is holy ground', and other snide or disdainful comments the better. The inside of the Emporium was as lavish as ever, the pillars still tall, the plants still a vibrant green, and the stairs up into the massive dining or discussion hall as proud and graceful as they had probably been for centuries, maybe even millennia.

She heard voices from the other side of the room as she walked up the stairs. The voice of Master Batarr was the one creating them. "...know how these bureaucrats are. But they  _ will _ do it."

They were both looking at a propped up map of Enderal, she noticed when she got closer. Neither of them seemed to realize she was there. "Very good, thanks for your efforts, my friend." Tealor's voice was a rich and deep as it had been only an hour before. Maybe even more so.

"Don't mention it. I… I just hope you know what you are doing. You know, many see the… course, the direction, of the Order since you came back as… disquieting. Narathzul's mages in the Temple, an  _ outlander _ as a Keeper…" He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "It's a lot to take in."

"I know, Jorek. I know. Things are changing and we are not the same Order we were a century ago, or even a decade ago. But someone has to deal with this threat, and if we don't then no one will. And that requires some… bending of policy, to ensure that our victory is guaranteed."

"Mm… Yes, I… I do suppose you are right." He turned and saw Amber standing there, quietly, not wanting to interrupt. "So, you made it 'prodigy'... Congratulations. Even though I'm sure not everyone is as happy about this as the Grandmaster is."

"Yes, I've caused quite the stir in the Order. I'd rather have not, but it seems like it was unavoidable." Amber shrugged her shoulders. It was uncomfortable, Batarr looming over her, at least a head taller than she was. "And what about you? What do you think about me attaining such a title? You didn't seem exactly overjoyed to see me exalted."

"No, you are correct. I simply don't know if you deserve to be here. Sakaresh does, she has proven it for close to ten years, now. But you… you've been here for half a month and already you've done what many spent decades attempting to do. Yes, you're talented and you're smart, I'll give you those, but if you're  _ worthy _ or  _ ready _ … That leaves me with doubt."

"Ah, yes, and I think I know why. I'm new here, as you've said, and I'm also Kiléan. I'm an outlander. I'll never fit in, and that's what you dislike about me. I'm not the same."

Batarr looked at her for a few moments, his face as neutral as he could make it and then walked off, his cloak swishing behind him as he went.

Amber walked up to Tealor. "You wanted to see me?"

"I did. Perhaps not in that uniform, but if it suits you then so be it." He walked over to the table and leaned over it, a musty tome sprawled across it with writing older than she was. "As I have previously explained, we are still in the dark about much of the true nature of the Cycle. All we have are fragments, but we will change that. We will continue to learn. There are two trails we have found; I want you to go after both of them." He explained.

"Which trails are these, if I may ask?"

"The first of them has to do with the stone fragments found in Old Rashêngrad. Peghast has not told you yet, but all of them together form what is called a 'Sigil Stone' which we urgently need. The arcanists have already put it together but we lack a part of the ritual to activate it… and for that, we need the memory of a dead person. The second-"

"Wait, wait, wait. The  _ memory _ of a  _ dead person? _ " The look of utter confusion on her face was more than apparent. "How can we get that? They're dead!"

"You." Tealor said. "You will call upon your powers as the Prophetess, find a way into this person's memories, and extract them. The second task revolves around a discovery we made in the Heartland. It could be significant, if not the only prospect we have in this fight… where do you want to start?"

"Uhm. Well, I think I'll pass on retrieving the memories of a dead person for now and just go with the new discovery. What's it all about?" Amber said. The memories of a dead person… she'll never forget that.

"I'll make it brief. We assume that, in the previous Cycle, the Pyreans worked on a machine which they hoped would save them from the Cleansing. An old artifact, which they tried to put back together."

"What kind of machine is it? Something like a… cannon? Or perhaps a boat, of some kind?"

"Not from what we have heard. It seems to be more like a… beacon, of some sort, which was hoped to beat back this threat that does not seem physically harmful, aside from the Red Madness and such. Of course, our comprehension of this threat is so lacking that we simply have no idea of what to expect. I would most likely compare it to some cosmic force. So, this sliver of information would make us naive if we believe we could fight this foe with flesh and blood… But, we're hoping this machine can fight it some other way. As I said, the Pyreans didn't invent this machine, they merely reconstructed it from old plans they found somewhere. And if they thought this idea was worth pursuing, perhaps it would be for us as well."

"So you're hoping we'll find similar plans to build this thing… this machine, in hopes that it will stop all this? Hmm. Alright, I'll do it."

"Excellent. Peghast found another Pyrean ruin called Old Doth ûlgrad, which seemed to be some sort of laboratory of the Dylgar, one of the Pyrean ruling castes, back in their era. "

"Much like the aristocrats we have in ours?" Amber asked.

"Not entirely. They were more like philosophers and scientists. Regardless, she assumes that we might find hints about this machine there, or maybe even a prototype. I want you to help her in any way possible. Maybe your unique gift can be of help to her and reveal something normal eyes cannot see."

"So, how can we expect this machine to save us? It didn't save the Pyreans."

"That's because they never finished it. The Pyrean state was in constant war much like how Vyn is these days. I believe that if they had completed it, as we hopefully will, it would have stopped the Cleansing from wiping them out. And even if the machine does not work, the knowledge we could gain from their struggle would be invaluable."

"Alright. How do I get to this ruin... Old Doth ûlgrad, is it ?"

"It is. It's in a remote section of the Heartland. Keeper Sakaresh will be accompanying you there and show you the way. Good luck."

"Walk blessed, Grandmaster," Amber said as she began walking away.

"Walk blessed."

She walked down the steps and saw Calia sitting on the bench aside the pillar in the middle of the room. Calia looked up when she saw Amber. "So, Prophetess, ready for an adventure?"

"As I'll ever be," Amber replied.


	21. Dothûlgrad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zug zug. I'm very tired.

"So… why did you pick the armour of a city guard? Didn't the smith have armour for you?" Calia asked.

"She did, but it's too heavy. I don't even know how you move around in those slabs of metal." Amber replied, gesturing to Calia's current attire. Her suit of armour, with her grey shirt and leather pants underneath, blue scarf wrapped around her neck.

"You get used to it and strong enough to carry it."

"Not me. I'll stay thin and short and relatively weak until the day I die. Means I'm really mobile, though." Amber said as the two of them walked out of the Emporium and outside into the night.

"Well, as much as I'm looking forwards to an adventure with you, I say we at least wait until day first."

"Right. That makes sense." Amber said as she looked up to the sky and the mix of darkened clouds and rich blue sky with streams of stars, releasing a soft sigh. "Alright, Calia, if I sleep too late you can find me in my quarters. It's down at the end of the hall. If you don't know where to find it, ask one of the novices. They probably know." Amber said, walking off in the direction of the Quarters.

"Err… right." Calia said. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, then. I've got the last of my preparations to do and sleep to catch."

Amber dipped her head a little in acknowledgement and then walked off to her Quarters, listening as a particularly talented individual sung and played several songs, and enjoying the fine appearance of her room. She was still in love with it, and all its little details that made her feel right at home for the first time in years. Over a decade, at the very least.

She stripped off most of her clothing and crawled under the covers, picking up the letter Jespar had sent her and reading it a few times, enjoying the fine style of the words and what the words meant before setting it down, blowing out the candles, and drifting off into an uneasy sleep fraught with her father and her family, the masked men, and of Sirius and her last moments with him. The dream became more twisted by her subconscious eventually, as she found herself in new rooms that seemed so familiar with people she knew but didn't.

A rasp on the door woke her, bleary-eyed but entirely awake. "Come in," Amber called as loud as her throat allowed. She grabbed a bottle of something beside her bed and began to drink. A light apple cider, it turned out to be. Not necessarily the best drink for a morning, but it cleaned her throat and brought some life to her. Plus, it tasted nice.

Calia had walked in at the time and sat down on one of the chairs placed near the door. "This is a nice room. I like the feeling of it. It's… comforting."

Amber couldn't help but nod in agreement. "It really is! I am happy the Grandmaster gave me this room. And for that Novice… uhh… Nilian, I think it is? Anyways, I'm really thankful for him since he actually decorated the place and all."

Calia continued to look around the room for a few seconds before saying, "You ready to go?"

"Sort of? I have to get dressed and do a little preparing but… yeah, I'm ready."

"Oh," Calia blushed a little, "do you want me to leave?"

Amber threw a gesture that said 'don't worry about it' at her. "It's nothing you haven't seen before." She crawled back out of bed, as lithe as ever and began putting on her armour made of cloth and leather. Amber pulled on some fine black gloves with a ring of fur where they ended and put on some mud-caked boots that spoke how often they had been used brazenly. Once again, Calia noted the scars across Amber's back and paired them with the ones on her face, through her eyebrow and along her mouth, both facing down. She was lucky not to lose her eye.

"Where did you get all your scars, the ones on your face, I mean?" Calia asked.

Amber fumbled more than she should have with some of her buckles and her belt specifically, and half-heartedly cursed the cider she had drunk. "Some from when I was a gutter-rat back in Ostian and some… before then." She said. She had some restraint, at the very least. "Each one has a story with it, though. And some stories are… better than others, I'll admit."

"We've all got ghosts, some just do more haunting than others."

"Wish I knew how to placate mine, in that case," Amber said with a tiny smile, one doing its best to mask a sad tone. "Anyways, I guess I can tell you the tale for the one on my eyebrow at least. And my mouth, eventually. They're both from Ostian."

"If you're willing. I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Calia said, shifting a bit in the chair to get more comfortable as Amber began putting a bottle of cider in her pack, as well as several bottles of water, some dried food, and other items she thought she'd need.

"Oh, it's fine. Least I can do since you told me about one of your stories. While it can be fun to remain 'mysterious' and unknown, I think I should also be able to tell people about me and who I am. I'm not _just_ the Prophetess, after all. I am Amber. As much a person as anyone else."

"Okay, tell your tale, then," Calia said as they began to make their way out of Amber's quarters. Both their packs made noises as the two women walked through the long hallway, glass clinking against metal, glass on glass, and all other manner of sounds one would expect.

They had gone outside and into the thin drizzle the heavens provided before Amber really began to speak. "So, as I had said, the scar, the one on my eyebrow, is from Ostian. Back when I didn't really 'work'. I mostly ran, actually. Was quite good at it when I had the energy to keep me going. I was always the fastest of my friends; none could catch me. Soon enough I learned the streets of Ostian and then I became unfindable and could lose anyone in the twisting, winding streets."

"Almost sounds like how I was back in the Undercity."

"There's probably quite a bit in common with your story, although, I figure you weren't as much of a runner as I was. Anyways, as I'm sure you've noticed, but I'm half Kiléan."

"It's rather hard to miss," Calia remarked.

"Hence the looks people give me as I walk past. So, as a half-breed, I never really fit in with many others. Sure, there were people like me and all, but we were a small number and relatively unwanted. Kiléans called me 'impure', just like Nehrimese did. I was an outcast on both sides, but never to the extent I've been in Enderal." Amber said. She was getting more worked up as she spoke. "The scar was gained through that; how I look and who my parents were. Mostly. Initially, it was to help save a friend of mine who had stumbled into one of the stronger kids in my tiny world. He was older as well, by about five years. Spent his time terrorizing the kids that found themselves in the worse parts of Ostian.

"Anyway, the bastard had pinned my friend against the wall and was trying to shake him down for money. We didn't have any at the time, spent much of our time chasing the rats to cook at one of the fires people made in the streets for warmth. So, I charged at him like an idiot and leaped onto his back and pushed his head into the wall. It broke his nose, I think. The way it bled was… almost horrifying. I had hoped I could run away but my foot got caught in his belt and I fell to the ground. Got dirt in my eye and it puffed up all red for a week. As it turns out, the guy had gotten a job working at the smith's place and made himself a dagger. …Which he had brought that day." Amber said with a tiny shudder.

"Oh no…" Was all Calia had to say before Amber carried on. They were outside the gates by that time, beginning to walk down the rather narrow walkway to the Barrack Quarter of Ark.

"Yeah. I'll never forget how close that dagger got. He pressed it up against my throat until it began to bleed and debated on whether a stab into my gut would kill me or just wound me for life. He didn't have enough time to decide on anything before my friend ran back with two of the city guards. I don't fully remember them, but I remember the look on the bastard's face as he saw the guards, took a step back, thought for a second and slashed the dagger down at me." She had slowed her walking and had pushed the door open to the tall tower between the Sun Temple and the rest of Ark. "I had lurched my head back into the wall, giving me an awful headache for the rest of the day, but I lived."

"What about all the blood it must have caused? And the wound is wider than what a dagger could cause. What happened?"

"Uh, well, the blood was mostly cleaned up by a damped cloth but the rock I smashed my face on a few minutes prior as I ran from the guards, fearing they'd get me since I was legally a criminal at the time, certainly did a good job at stretching the wound wider than it needed to be. There was a healer who I went to when I picked myself back up. I walked much more carefully during the way there, let me tell you, and he fixed me up like he did anyone else who went to him. He typically helped the sick or the wounded, since that's all he could offer at most times, but he spared food and shelter when he could as well."

"What happened to him?" Calia asked. "Sounds like a good man."

Amber nodded as they left the tower and walked into the small training room. "Yeah, he was. He passed from a sickness of some sort. Ironic, when you think about it, but no one knew how to treat him. Even himself. 'An illness I have never seen in my sixty-eight years of life...' he had said. ...Not that I was there at the time, I had only heard when I returned to find his body burned and the place being occupied by beggars and squatters who didn't know nor care about him and what he stood for. I… I don't like thinking about that place. For all the good it did, it just reminds me of everything I had hoped to escape from here in Enderal."

"Such as?" Calia ventured. She was getting used to Amber's accent. It was vastly different from the one she spoke, or basically, anyone else spoke. Just a different way of pronouncing things. So… odd in its placement of inflection, yet maintaining such a neutral tone. She had half a mind of trying such an accent herself if she didn't worry about insulting Amber and making herself a fool.

"Oh, just the poverty and general disregard for others. Of course, I hadn't expected Enderal to be devoid of beggars and such, but I wanted to just find a new place to live and one where I wouldn't have to worry about my debt and lack of skill. Fortunately, there's a world I get to save to free me from an unfortunate fate in the Undercity." Amber said as they walked into the Foreign Quarter, as marked by the sign and the different feel of the district as opposed to the one they were just in. They made their way to the other side of the district, Calia distinctly leading, and making their way to the marketplace and soon enough, the Myrad tower.

"Enderal has a way of disappointing when it comes to expectations it seems," Calia remarked. "I had wanted it to feel more open and welcoming, but you can't just change human nature on a whim."

"You know… coming to Enderal was Sirius and I's last plan on what to do. Our very last. We had no other options for us by the time we boarded that ship to here." Amber admitted as they made their way into the slowly rejuvenating world of vibrant commerce that the marketplace always seemed to be. Stalls were just setting up, people were getting ready to begin another day of selling their goods, and some people were already showing up in hopes to purchase something.

"Really? It was?"

"Yeah. We- well, _I_ had always thought that I'd be 'normal' by this time… Someone to love, a roof over my head, a job I could do in peace, and just carry on." Calia saw a wistful smile on Amber's face. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like. To just be one of the millions who have a 'regular' life. A normal one. And other times… I envy them." Amber sighed and they walked in silence until they entered the Southern Quarter, where Calia pointed to a large wooden platform at the top of a long set of stairs, near a waterfall and set into a mountain that fed into the big pool that formed the most memorable thing about the Southern Quarter. They made their way up the steps confidently and swiftly as they worked to get there before the sun set and off to the Heartland to do the duty that was expected of them.

"Ever flown a Myrad before?" Calia asked.

Amber shook her head, hair bouncing as she did so. It fell back into the same shape, mostly. "No… I never had the inclination to, nor the coin."

"Well, it's relatively cheap here and I brought more than enough pennies for the both of us." Calia walked up to the man sitting on a tall post just in front of the Myrad. He shook his head to clear his mind and body of fatigue and yawned.

"How can I help you?" He asked.

"Could you take us to the Heartland?" Calia asked, smiling at the Myrad when it decided to look at the two of them. Amber looked at it with a mix of fear and awe. They tended to do that to people.

The Myrad Keeper nodded and hopped off his post. "Yes, that I can." He walked over to the Myrad and began stroking it affectionately until it realized it had a trip to make.

It got up and let the Keeper climb on effortlessly with Calia following suit a few moments later. Amber had more difficulty getting on, being very careful so as to not hurt the creature as well as get comfortable. Once she gave her cautious approval, they began to go on their way. The Myrad called out and began making all the motions it had done hundreds of times to end up in the air. Amber was less impressed with it and more terrified if her wrapping her arms around Calia was for the reason Calia suspected. She looked behind her and saw Amber looking at her with nervous eyes and a reluctance to let go. Calia knew the embrace was as chaste as could be, but still, a faint flicker of something in her went off and was gone before she could have time to think about it.

Amber was too busy focused on remaining balanced and not falling off to enjoy the view, but she gradually lessened her grip, looking around and generally starting to appreciate the sights before her. She could see the mountains to the north, west, and east and the tall, wide trees that grew proud in the Heartland. A different world from the Sun Coast, a place she was a little more familiar with.

The ride seemed over before either one knew it, but it had taken a little more than an hour. The Keeper took payment graciously and got the Myrad moving again. While Calia went over their stuff to make sure none of it fell out, Amber watched the magnificent creature fly back to the mountain and the tiny bit of the Sun Temple she could still see from above the trees. "That was… a lot more terrifying than I had expected it to be."

"Oh? How so?" Calia asked as she recounted the number of rations they brought. More than enough to get there and back.

Amber made several gestures of 'do I really have to explain?' before conceding that she did. "It just took off! No warning, nothing! Just off into the air! That was fucking terrifying. I… I think I'll end up walking back."

"It was fine, wasn't it? You looked like you enjoyed yourself at the end there, too." Calia had begun walking off into the woods with a well-remembered path to Old Dothûlgrad. Amber followed her, walking with a sense of grace and well-practiced agility and accuracy. It was as if she had walked the road a thousand times.

"Well, yeah. It was." Amber admitted. "And it was pretty fun to be that high up and just seeing the world, but it was so sudden!" Amber looked and sounded almost childish. Not in a way that was unpleasant, however.

"Then I'll make sure it goes slow," Calia said with a tiny grin. Amber caught up soon enough. They walked down a mostly dirt road with various clusters of stones and some low walls fused together with as much moss as mortar. They passed by a small building that had been fully overrun by nature and looked like it hadn't been set foot in for centuries, maybe even millennia.

They both heard noise coming from the building and drew their weapons. A walking skeleton carrying a weapon as old as it was emerged from the stone and began charging at them but a quick bolt of lightning from Amber ended it quickly. A second one appeared and a second, more calculated bolt struck it as its skull shattered and the rest of its bones fell into a pile, crushing a low lying plant in the process. Amber put her sword back, as Calia did, and said, "I'm glad I know enough about magic to cast that particular spell. Seems to be pretty useful."

"Indeed," Calia said with a soft smile before they continued on.

They walked along a road and deeper into the Heartlands. Amber looked around her all the time, Calia noticed. She seemed to be taking in the world in all its glory, clouds, trees, roots, and grass. As well as everything else. The entire world just seemed there for her and Calia liked watching her move, seeing her hair bounce with each step and her eyes always upwards. She saw a few flowers, a brilliant red with pedals like the sun, plucked one and stuck it in her hair.

"You know, I never expected Enderal to be so beautiful," Amber said eventually.

"Oh? What did you expect from it?" Calia asked in turn.

Amber thought for a moment, her pace slowing down as she did so, and then eventually answered. "A place I could call home. A place I could begin anew, without the problems of the old one I had left. The beauty of nature here, I simply hadn't ever thought I'd see. I expected I would spend much of my life, or the entirety of it, in Ark."

"There was nothing else that interested you in coming here?"

"I spent almost my entire life in Ostian. Even picked up the accent. But my home, Ostian and Nehrim, are split in civil war. And everywhere else was, too. Fights and riots occurred in the streets almost weekly, and sometimes daily. Then, I was told of a place where there was no war, even in these turbulent times. It was amazing to hear such news. I heard the place was Enderal, and so Sirius and I devised a plan to come here. And while I made it…" Amber fell into silence and distanced herself from Calia, kicking tiny stones and watching them fly in front of her and then kicking them again when she got close enough. If they fell off the path or lodged themselves anywhere difficult, she'd just find a new one to kick.

Calia looked at Amber as they walked. She displayed an array of emotions, all of them looking like regret, fear, guilt, and a deep sadness over all else. _Oh how I miss you, Sirius,_ Calia had sworn Amber said under her breath at some point. She decided to break the silence. "I take it the two of you were close."

Amber continued to look on for a moment before realizing Calia was speaking to her. "We were… not like… lovers, or anything. Friends. But we were the best of friends, let me tell you. Blazes, I miss him." She smiled a little, and then her mouth reformed the small purse of sadness it had maintained for some dozen minutes or so.

They continued to walk in silence. There wasn't much to say. Calia continuously checked the map and made sure they were going the right direction while Amber replayed as many good memories she had had with Sirius, and cursed the world for taking him from her, but ultimately cursed them - Sirius and herself - for being foolish enough to sneak on as stowaways, and for that veiled woman, whoever she was, for destroying what little chance they had to escape.

They stopped to have a meal before continuing onwards. Bread, some salt beef, a little smoked fish, a cheese that tasted much better than it smelled, and cider to wash it all down. It wasn't as fulfilling as Amber had wished, but it was good enough to suffice and was worlds better than what she had back in Ostian, so there was no reason to complain. They ate in relative silence, only asking for various food items or how long the expected trip was going to take, or what the device they were after could possibly be and if it could even work.

When they started walking again, they returned to their thoughts. Both equally important, and both equally troubled. One on the fate of the world and the other of ghosts resurfaced. It was hours before they saw a massive stone structure off the beaten path, covered in moss and lichen and as old as the continent itself, it seemed.

"Look, over there, that must be the ruin," Calia stated, tugging Amber by the shirt as she stared into the past.

The shift in movement and pace jolted her out of her melancholy. "What? Oh, that place? Looks nothing like that other Pyrean ruin I was at."

"Perhaps people of an ancient time built a building over it. Not sure why, though."

They both walked up to the structure. It was all walls, arches, vines, and sun-bleached stone. Not a single floor or roof to be found, only bricks haphazardly laying in the dirt, half exposed. The ruins opened up with two lines of arches separating the large courtyard that spanned quite a ways, completely conquered by nature in all her glory. Planks of wood had been hastily constructed around the entrance of a cave, leading deep into the ruin. The air even at the mouth of the entrance smelled like dirt, must, and decay.

"Welcome to Old Dothûlgrad," Calia said.

"Welcome, indeed."


	22. Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Yay! Hope it stands up to all the other ones I've posted. Regardless, it forwards the story and is more to read. Enjoy!
> 
> * Realized I didn't post this on a Thursday. Whoops.

The inside of the cave was dark and humid, light only coming from the ever-fading glow of outside and the many torches propped up into the wall. The air was stale and left a bad taste in Amber's mouth, but she moved forwards and continuously down the cave. Amber's hand was constantly on the grip of her sword. Just in case. They walked through the cave for no more than a minute before it opened up into a large room with a single blazing pit of fire trapped by iron.

A single beam of tainted light fell into the dark cavern from a hole in the ceiling. The stone felt cold and uninviting. A tall Pyrean tower stood to the right of the two women, ancient and decayed, the stone looked like it could crumble under the slightest breeze. "Place looks kind of foreboding, doesn't it?" Amber said with an anxious chuckle.

"It does," Calia stated. She almost immediately regretted opening her mouth. The dust from the room stuck to her tongue and dried it out. She coughed and reached for her flask. "Where the Undercity was too overexposed to moisture, this place is barren of it."

Amber said nothing and instead took a step forward, drawing her sword. "Thought I saw something move…"

What had was a massive spider, nearly twice the size of her and almost as tall. It crawled to the floor in front of the young Kiléan with a sinister intent, then it flung its limbs out as far as they would go before crumpling to the ground as its legs began curling back into itself, the way it always did with spiders once they died. The air began to smell of burned spider. Calia drew her own sword and began looking around; where there was one, there was bound to be more.

Another had presented itself not too long after, a handful of seconds after Calia scanned the room. It fell to the floor with the intent of getting more food, or perhaps revenge, but was met with Calia's blade sinking into it, past its hard shell. Calia wiped her sword off before sheathing it and, when no more spiders showed themselves, Amber took the lead and slowly descended the wooden stairway the excavation crew had set up.

"Always hated those damned things," Amber said.

"You've seen them before? Where?"

"On my way to Ark, with Jespar. And on my way to Riverville when I was alone. There was an old trading outpost that I explored a little of, before seeing three of these bastards in it. Back then, I barely knew how to control my magic, nor did I have a good weapon. You can probably imagine my expression after seeing it."

"I wouldn't be so sure; what did you do to kill it?"

Amber shrugged. "Oh, you know, set them on fire and stabbed the rest. You think that smell was bad, try spiders that have been roasted with fire. Smells awful. Fortunately, didn't get hurt while doing so. Nearly burned the outpost down, though."

"I bet. You're lucky to have made away from that without any injuries many talented warriors have died to them in the past."

"Well, then my skill must be extraordinary."

Calia couldn't argue with that and continued onwards.

The place was almost constantly losing parts of itself, like the entire rock wall as built of sandstone. They advanced slowly with deliberate steps through the candlelit hallway with dead plants growing through it. Amber wondered how such a thing was possible.

Two more spiders, much smaller this time around, were hiding in the hallway. Amber barely had enough time to draw her blade before she remembered to use her magic against it. The room once again began to smell of fried spider. Amber also dispatched the other one that approached them with a well-placed strike to its head.

A sturdy-enough elevator was at the end of the hallway, already covered with things like candles and stones, crates and barrels, and now two young women. Amber felt uneasy as she looked through the cracks in the wood to the massive drop below. She almost wanted to fall to her knees, as if that would help her stay on the ground. Calia went ahead and pulled the lever on the other side of the elevator-covered chasm in silence. Not much needed to be said. They both knew their jobs and what was expected of them. Sort of.

When it started, Amber yelped a little and Calia shook with momentary disbalance before finding her footing again. Amber had to take a few deep breaths to calm her down. "Are you all right, Amber?" Calia asked, walking over to her friend, now leaning against one of the crates for support.

"Fine, fine, just… never expected it to start so quickly. Nor that I would, apparently, have a fear of heights." Amber admitted before hastily explaining herself. "Not at the Sun Temple, though. Odd how I'm fine there, but elsewhere..." She shrugged a little as she got used to the elevator's pacing that utterly lacked uniformity. Sometimes it would lurch down, other times it would almost come to a stop.

"I see. Well, it's something to keep in mind for the future." Calia said before the elevator came to a stop with a lurch that nearly sent Amber tumbling.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Amber said as she picked herself up, brushed off some dust that had collected on her armour, and breathed in a deep breath before moving onwards.

A narrow passageway led to a poorly-constructed railing made of aged and almost rotten wood, where it looked sturdy but Amber and Calia had their doubts. A short set of stairs led down to a candlelit room of sorts with an even narrower hallway proclaimed by a Pyrean arch with several engravings on it. Several dead plants and fungi grew off the main path and made the air taste sour and unpleasant.

As soon as they walked to the archway, Lishari's voice could be heard calling out to several people, or only one. Amber couldn't tell. "Then do it, for fuck's sake." Amber stepped around the large cobwebs much smaller and more pleasant spiders had set up. Ones that probably couldn't kill her. Probably. "How did you manage that? All I did was leave you alone for a few hours."

Someone tried to explain. "There were too many, mydame, I did the best I-"

"You did jack shit, that's what you did! Three of our people are dead and now the damned entrance is blocked up! This is fucking unbelievable." Amber saw Lishari pinch the bridge of her nose as they walked into another more open room with several wounded, blood oozing down the stairs. "Get out of here. Now. I need to think."

"Hm, that doesn't sound good." Calia's feet hitting the stone and soft voice certainly did away with a stealthy entrance and for a moment, Lishari looked ready to kill the two of them before recognizing who they were.

"Oh, thank the fucking Stars. We- wait, you? Out of all the people in this goddamn land, you were the last one I was expecting. But, I must say it's good to see you once again."

"Good to see you again, too, Lishari," Amber said. "The Grandmaster was only too eager to send me off once I completed the trial and swore the Oath."

Lishari looked a little stunned at first but the expression was soon gone. "Well, congratulations on that, I suppose. Though, I don't know what getting high on weird drogae could possibly do to make you 'worthy' of much more than a long, sobering walk."

"Nightshade Elixir isn't just some 'weird drogae', it's a centuries-old recipe that was already being used by the First Vasalls. Maybe you should have known that before judging our traditions." Calia retorted.

"Well, now I do," Lishari said, and not in a particularly kind way. Amber frowned but said nothing. "And, who exactly are you…?"

"Calia Sakaresh," she said with a traditional bow, "Keeper of the First Sigil. I was exalted together with Amber, the one you call the Prophetess."

"Sakaresh? You're the one from the… village?"

"Maybe. Have you heard of me?"

"Well, there are some… interesting rumours involving you, let's just say that… No reason to be complaining about the two of you. Keepers are much more desirable compared to these incompetent guards, especially someone with your talents, Amber."

Amber blushed a little. "Thank you, I hope I won't disappoint."

"Me, too. Speaking of which, it appears I have found myself in the exact same shit as from Old Rashêngrad. Seems I have a knack for creating this sort of situation. Or being caught in it, at the very least."

"You mean that a bunch of unknown mercenaries charged in, slaughtered everyone and set the lower tunnels on fire with the intention of destroying everything you were working to attain?" Amber said.

Lishari gave her a look. "Fine, fine, not exactly the same but damn well close enough. This time it was bandits, not mercenaries, and they haven't been starting fires, last I checked. They ran in here about two hours ago and charged through us like we were as green as summer grass."

"That's bad… Where are these bandits now?" Amber asked, a concerned look on her face.

"Well, that's the problem. You see that hallway over there?"

"Yes, it's quite visible from where I am standing," Amber said, looking down it. The fact that it was to Old Rashêngrad in design was eerie. Even Enderalean towns didn't all look the same, she assumed. For the Pyreans, it seemed everything was uniform.

"It leads down into the ruin. And guess what those fuckers did?"

"Prevented you from following them? Barricaded the entrance so you couldn't?"

"Close enough. They dashed in and somehow activated some kind of mechanism, locking down the whole passageway! Now, anyone who gets to close gets roasted like a chicken. So, we can't go down and they can't come up."

"And this machine Arantheal sent me after is down there, too, right?" Amber began wondering if this would ever become easy. She had the suspicion the answer was ' _no_ '.

"We believe so, yes. That's what makes the whole thing so annoying!" Lishari sighed deeply.

This time, Calia spoke. "Is there a way to deactivate the machine?"

Lishari laughed, though it was a cold and almost unpleasant laugh. "Somehow, yes, but would you place the button to deactivate the trap right next to the door it's supposed to protect?"

"I doubt I would…" Amber admitted.

"We need to find another way down," Lishari said, bluntly. "But at least we have some kind of clue. A sort of hidden entrance. We're still stuck on getting it open, though. Come, I'll show you. Who knows, maybe you'll see something from the past that will help us. Hopefully."

Lishari walked past the wounded and those tending them as Amber and Calia followed, after setting down their packs full of supplies like food and water and shelter. They walked through more cobwebs that all avoided stepping through and across a wooden bridge with a ray of sunlight, glowing mushrooms, a flowing stream of water, and vibrant, green plants. The scene made Amber want to stop and admire it for just a moment, but she continued onwards. There was a job to be done, and one that she had to do.

They walked down a set of spiraled stairs into a large open room with a set of four bells, all placed in the corners of a large square platform. A charred body laid in the middle, looking upwards as if in terror, or seeking absolution. The sight chilled Amber to the bone, despite the body looking like it had been burned by a massive wave of fire. _How could something like that happen in a place like this?_ She thought.

"And here we are. If you were wondering about our friend over there, he was like that when we got here." Lishari said. "No idea what's keeping his body from decaying."

Amber looked at the body a little closer. "Was he burned?"

"It sure looks like it, doesn't it? I suspect it to be magic since we all know the Pyreans used it even more liberally than we do. But, it's still very unusual that the body shows no signs of decay, no degradation… nothing. Just stays like that…"

"You haven't moved him anywhere?" Calia asked.

"Move him where? Look around, we're in a damn hole in the ground. There's no place for this guy to go, and I also suspect the workers here aren't too willing to move him anywhere. Superstitious bunch."

"Right… You said there was some kind of puzzle here?" Amber asked.

"There is. I'm sure the bells have something to do with it, but I can't say what." Lishari said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Great," Amber said as she began looking around, walking away from the Nehrimese mage. "I've always loved cryptic hints…"

The two companions walked to the charred corpse, his skin and flesh black from… something. Fire couldn't do that. Amber frowned, was that a result of this Cleansing that Arantheal talked about? She couldn't know, and also didn't really want to know, either. Her morbid curiosity kept her intrigued, however, despite her efforts.

And in nothing more than a moment, Amber was ripped from her reality and entered a new one.

It was odd, glowing and the details were hard to make out. She heard a bell ring behind her, almost overwhelmingly loud. The bells rung in a particular order that she did her best to remember. And, once it was over, her vision returned to normal and she almost fell to the floor.

"Maybe we should… ehm, hey, are you alright, Amber?" Calia said. "You look pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just… just another vision. Guess I really am the Prophetess…"

"As if there was any doubt. But, wait- you did? Then that mage woman was right… what did-"

"How was I right?" Lishari interrupted.

"I had another vision, of a… pattern, like a ring of the bells in a specific order. I think it might get the mechanism to work."

Lishari looked at Amber with an incredulous look. "Seriously?"

"Deathly so," Amber said, she took in a few deep breaths and tried to return to normal. Visions were always… weird.

"By the Prophet's ass, that's… convenient."

Amber glanced down at her posterior. "Is that really a saying?"

Lishari chuckled. "If it wasn't before, it is now. So, you said these bells had a pattern?"

"Yes, a sequence that they need to be activated in, I believe."

"Well, don't collapse the place on accident. It's more rickety and decrepit than any of us feel comfortable with, already."

"I'll do my best not to," Amber replied.

Laying on one of the beds the bells were hung above was a massive hammer that looked like a hardy whack could send the bell ringing like it should. Amber did her best to remember where the sounds were once coming from and began using the hammer against the bells. After activating the right pattern, Amber walked closer to Calia who was standing in the middle of the platform, looking curiously at the charred man.

Amber felt a little uneasy with her steps and looked around, making sure she had set the hammer down back where she had gotten it.

"That sounded like it was right! Now all we- Oh, blazes." Calia remarked. Amber heard Lishari yelling, yet the words were unintelligible.

A loud ripple went through the earth and Amber stumbled into Calia, leaning against her for support. It was only a few moments later when the clean stone slate gave way under their feet, utterly vanishing, sending both of them falling into the dark. Calia screamed and Amber might have, if one question was not going through her mind.

 _Is_ this _how I die?_

Amber landed into a small body of water, sinking into it. She immediately began panicking, her fear of water not fully overcome and began thrashing about. She kicked and pulled and reached up to the surface but it was only when she told herself it wasn't water and that she would drown this way could she manage to swim her way to a shore, of sorts. She gasped for breath when her mouth was not surrounded by water and the air tasted… better, though still unpleasant. She couldn't wait to go back outside and see the sun once more.

The fall was longer than she had wanted and noticed Calia was not with her, nor had she been with her for a while. "Calia!" Amber called into the only exit she could see, aside from the one she had just come from. "Calia!" She called again, when she didn't receive a response.

She was alone. For the first time since her walk to Riverville, she was truly alone. Nothing to give her comfort. Nothing.

Amber drew her blade. As she was alone and in hostile territory, she could not know who she would encounter. If she would encounter anyone. She knew what her tasks were, but she only cared about finding Calia and surviving. At that point, everything else was secondary.

She took one last look at the water basin she had fallen in and thanked it for a moment, before making her cautious way through the open tunnel she hoped would lead her out of this place. The natural rock formations soon gave way to a massive Pyrean tunnel carved of intricate stone and occasionally glowing with fungus. It was her only option, though a deep feeling of dread and anxiety worked its way into her system.

Two rats, like the size she had encountered on her way off the coast she had once woken up on, so long ago, were in the tunnel with her and would have attacked her if she had not gotten them first. Two bolts of electricity fried them before they could ever even get close enough to bite her, which she was thankful of. She kicked their steaming bodies aside and made her way past them, seeing an old door at the end of the tunnel, which had slowly led her upwards.

Though, once she opened the door, all Pyrean architecture simply vanished. Instead, she looked upon a massive cavern with a deep ravine and several wooden structures, along with a narrow walkway along the natural formations. Though some of the structures looked like a bridge, upon looking closer, she could see it was only rope. She was once again tempted to call out for Calia once more, but kept it to herself, not knowing the dangers that stayed in the shadows.

Soon enough, she found a lever and a bridge of wood that stood tall, yet looked aged and weary. When she pulled the lever, the bridge simply fell down to allow her passage to the other side, but she made her way across as quickly and lightly as possible. She did _not_ come this far to die.

She continued to follow the only way she could go, down into the depths, and hopefully to safety, yet she felt more and more unsafe with every step she took. After stumbling blindly for at least a minute or so, her heartbeat thumping in her chest, she finally found more light and two pathways. One that led down and the other up, if she looked far enough down it. It reminded her of Old Rashêngrad. She gripped her sword tighter. After some pondering, she decided to go right, and down. It seemed to be the way that would not lead her to the surface, so she chose it in hopes that she was wrong.

She heard voices almost as soon as she began walking down the steps and saw two individuals, both looked like men, speaking with one another. "...was up to me, I'd stay down here rather than try my luck with that crazy lady and her entourage."

"Yeah, but… I knew it was a mistake right from the start to help that farmer." The other said. Amber continued her approach as stealthily as she could. She had the feeling she would have to kill these people, and it was not something she looked forward to. "Did you see what she did to Rako? He just… dissolved. How is that even possible?"

"How the fuck would I know? But Karek will find us a way back up again, trust me… and once he has, we can deal with the Steelcrabs."

"I'll bet my balls that they have enough money with them to make all this shit worthwhile again."

 _You're already living in the golden age of criminal activity, what more could you want?_ Amber thought to herself.

"Keep your balls," the other spat, "I just want to get out of here."

"You will. Don't worry about it," the bandit said before standing up from the chair he was sitting on and moving away. Amber knew she had to kill them. They wouldn't let her live if she revealed herself to them.

She tried to move over as quietly as she could, but one of the bandits looked over and saw her.

"How the fuck did you get down here?" The bandit asked as he reached for his weapon.

His question would never be answered as Amber drove the blade into the bandit's chest. It sunk in with ease, almost eagerly, and the man spluttered and gasped. The other had noticed and charged her, though she pushed the man off her sword and into the remaining bandit. The now-dead one fell against the wooden floor, oozing blood, and the other charged her and met a similar fate after a ring of steel shot through the air.

She winced and said to herself, quietly, "Well, so much for stealth. I hope my skills with a blade are as legendary as the rumours say, or else I'm dead and the world is doomed…"

She continued her way through the tall yet narrow pathway, watching and listening for any other noise other than her own footsteps. When she began to see a wagon in the distance, she also started to hear voices. "What in the name of the Black Guardian do you think that was?"

"I don't know, but it don't sound too good. Stay on guard." Another said, feminine this time.

Amber made her way closer and saw the two of them, weapons drawn and looking around. Soon enough, one of them noticed Amber. "Oh, so you're the cause of that noise? I think we can take you." The woman said before running towards the Prophetess. The other bandit followed swiftly behind her.

She made a quick decision about the bandits. The one farther back, she zapped with lightning, making him drop his weapon and fall to the floor. The other bandit met Amber with a blade outstretched, and Amber side-stepped just in time to let her opponent's blade be dragged down to the stones. It gave Amber the perfect opportunity to slash her blade into her opponent's back. Amber winced and turned away, and shuddered as she heard her enemy cry out in pain and then slump to the ground, moaning feebly to stop the pain.

Amber ended her life as quickly as she could; no one deserved to suffer.

As she walked past, she once again wanted to call out to Calia but knew she shouldn't, unless she wanted to give out her exact position to all her enemies. She pressed on, walking past a bedroll laid near a burning lantern and into a wooden structure. It looked like it had taken a while to make. When she emerged, she saw two more bandits in a more naturally formed section of the opened room. One was sitting at a table and the other was standing by the other. Amber walked as silently as she could until she felt she was close enough.

She sent another bolt of electricity into another man, sending them into shock, and like the previous victim, they too slumped to the ground. Amber dashed forwards and slid her blade into the bandit's back, still seated though they looked like they wanted to get up. Amber tried to block out the sound of her enemy gurgling for life and mercy, or perhaps death, and wiped her blade clean. She continued to walk down the path and it led into another room constructed by the Pyreans. She took a few cautious steps and, when she stepped on a plate where the floor sunk down, she immediately leaped back in alarm, her anxiety skyrocketing.

Fortunately, it was the right response, as hot orange flames shot out from the ground and reached to a height higher than she could stand. She stopped to breathe for a few moments before she heard someone call out from the other side of the half-collapsed room. "Hey, you alright back there?"

Amber was tempted to call out, but instead walked around the fire traps. When the bandit saw her, he said "Hey, you're not one of us!" before drawing his blade and walking towards her. She, in turn, walked towards him. They circled each other once, before the impatient bandit lunged forwards with a well-executed, yet poorly timed attack. Amber blocked it and punched her opponent, feeling the nose she hit crunch under the pressure. The man staggered back and clutched at his nose as Amber slid her blade between his ribs and shook her head in part disgust and part dismay.

The pathway led down. Quite far down. Until it once again opened up to a massive room, lit by a string of lanterns hung between a rock face and pillar. Three more bandits stood there. She approached them and flung three bolts of electricity their way, hitting all of them. They fell to the ground, breathless and still. Amber stopped for a moment and leaned against a stone. She was starting to feel a little drained, mentally. Fatigued. She had to ease up on the magic a bit, as effective as it might be.

Once again, she was left with two more passages to go down. She once again decided to go right, further down into the depths of the place she found herself in. With her location unclear, she steeled herself and began to walk down the wooden steps. It soon gave way to another wooden bridge over a stream of fresh, loud, rapid water that she wanted to drink from and cursed herself for not bringing anything.

The pathway began dark and winding, so much so that she considered creating some flame from her already taxed mind to ensure she could see. But, it soon gave away to an open cavern with a stream of water running through it, several planks of wood laid overtop it like a bridge. She saw a rack with fish being smoked on it yet no water, and it was not food she craved. She approached the bandit and when he eventually noticed her, it was too late and she was too close for him to do anything other than accept her blade into his flesh.

The pathway continued to wind and twist and it felt like she had been walking for eons before she once again saw light, coming from crystals growing in the stones above her head. A wide, wooden bridge laid in front of her and a wooden structure on the other side of it. She crossed it carefully, being sure not to shake it too much lest she break the wood or invoke a fear of heights again. When she made it to the other side, she looked behind her and sighed before continuing onwards, encountering two more bandits, though they held bows instead of swords or axes. She easily dispatched of the closest one but the second managed to get an arrow off that flew by her head, making her duck and stop in her tracks momentarily. It was not enough time to nock another arrow, however, and an aggressive slash of a sword put to end any such intent towards her, at least from him.

She was totally lost by the time she encountered even more wooden structures, this time in the shape of a building. There was nothing of interest in it, aside from a unique pattern that the fungus inside the building had grown in, and she swiftly left the building and continued on. Once again, another pathway opened up two more possible routes to go down. This time, she decided to go left instead of right, as she felt it wasn't helping her in escaping or finding Calia in this damned maze she found herself trapped in.

She continued to walk cautiously until she saw a doorway with a wooden gate blocking her access. A lever sat to the right of the door and she could clearly see other people on the opposite side she was on, though none looked like the tall, metal-clad woman she had grown accustomed to. She really didn't want to do this, but it seemed like the only way. She pulled on the lever and let the gate slide down and allow her egress.

She took a few steps through the door and felt a massive burst of energy, and all went black.


	23. Shadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, that took longer than it needed to. I'm glad a new chapter is out and all but, I really could've been quicker about it. And I know what I said: "I only upload Thursdays", but I think I can be excused on such an occasion.
> 
> Why the delay? None of you probably care that much (if you really want to know, though, you can shoot me an email - thelonesurvivorao3@gmail.com) so I'll just not talk about it here in the notes.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and read through the notes down at the bottom. That stuff is more 'what's going to happen to the story from now on' stuff since I'm making a big change. Again, enjoy!

Everything hurt. Everything. Not a single muscle in her body didn't throb with pain. Her bones felt smashed, her skull felt shattered, and her organs felt crushed. Everything in her body hurt. And she couldn't even move. All she could do was open her eyes, against the lead weights strapped to her eyelids, and try to keep them open.

Her breath was short and she began to panic. Lack of breath was, at this point in her life, her ultimate worry. Her greatest fear, aside from death. Maybe it was because they were so closely linked that she feared them almost equally.

Sharp, maniacal laughter tore her ears apart. A man walked into her field of vision. "There we go, that little trick has yet to disappoint me…" She saw more movement, but couldn't distinguish who it was. _Even more bandits, oh Gods…_ "So, what do you say now, you little piece of shit? I'll make you pay for what you-"

He drew his blade, and Amber winced in pain as the sound hurt her ears even more. She strained her eyes to see who it was. 'Calia' she tried to say, but words failed her. "Well, that's just great… Another weapon-wielding bitch!"

Calia spoke, her voice sombre like it always was. "Put the weapon down. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I must."

"Oh, is that so?" He replied, mockingly.

"All your followers are dead, and even if you managed to get past us, there's at least a dozen more guards farther up." She kept her blade in her hands, the blade lightly stabbed into the dirt. "So put the weapon down, or you'll wish that you had."

The man shook his head. "Such vehement determination. Almost admirable. Alright then…" He went to sheath his blade before lunging forwards. "Die!" He yelled.

Calia's blade shot up to meet him faster than Amber thought possible. The clash of steel made her head ache. A shot of magic resonated off him as he stumbled back, and Calia went… dark. There was no other way to describe it. One moment, she looked fine, the next… all colour and life had been drained from her body, and only a walking shadow remained.

"As you wish," the voice distant from Calia's but oh so similar spoke; ethereal and echoed. Amber's heart nearly froze and a chill shot through her body. The shadow walked up and pushed the man to the ground, and his suit of armour made his impact all the more painful for him and Amber. It looked at Amber, with bright, white eyes like miniature suns. They burned into Amber's mind.

He reached his hand out in mercy, true to Calia's word, and went to beg, a primal fear in his eyes. Calia, or the shadow, or whatever it was, brought Calia's blade down onto the poor soul again and again and again. Amber wanted to stop it. It had done enough, but it didn't seem content with a mere killing.

The blade went down and up a horrifying amount of times and only when the body refused to move, face unrecognizable, with a pool of blood nearly at Amber's mouth, did it finally decide to stop. Amber looked up a moment, to the ceiling, and shut her eyes away from the brutality she had just seen.

When she opened her eyes, it felt like hours had passed. Maybe they had. Who was to say? She shook her head and realized she could move. She tried to get up and then remembered the shadow. She leapt up and had a hand on her blade, almost fully drawing it before she saw Calia.

"Hey, hey… are… are you all right?" Calia asked. There was a desperate, worried tone in her voice.

Amber finished drawing her blade. "I…" It clattered to the ground as her fingers no longer supported its weight, and she crumpled and fell on her legs. It hurt, but was manageable. Her head still ached. "I have the worst headache since I tried that batch of wine back in Ostian…" She breathed deeply, and was just glad Calia was there, and not that… thing. "Wh… what the fuck was that?"

Calia knelt beside Amber and, once Amber asked her question, she turned her gaze away. "It's nothing… Did he hurt you? Can you walk?"

Amber tested her legs. She could. But she needed answers first. "Don't dodge the question. What happened to you? Your eyes… the mist… your voice…"

"What is this? An interrogation? As I see it, I saved your damned life, so why don't you do me a favour and keep your questions to yourself." Calia snapped.

Amber recoiled a bit. She hadn't expected that, but it made sense Calia could have raw power behind her voice. Amber thought for a few moments, and then picked up her blade, inspecting it for scrapes and dents. None could be seen. She tried to walk but her left leg gave out from under her and it crashed into the rock below her, sending pain up her leg. "Fine," she bit. "I'm just fine."

Calia sucked in a breath and went to help Amber, but Amber brought her arm up and hit Calia's off her. Calia's hand hovered but made no further attempt to help.

"I told you, I'm _fine_." Amber said. An irrational anger was filling her and, try as she might, she couldn't get rid of it. The most she could do was try to limit its influence on her actions, however little. Amber picked herself up again, resting her weight on her right foot and dusted herself off, sheathing her sword. She took another step forward and nearly fell again, but caught herself and managed to stay upright. "I'm just fine…" she repeated.

Amber made an impatient 'lead the way' gesture to Calia and she, almost reluctantly, did so. Calia led the way while Amber limped. Amber cursed under her breath every now and again.

After a minute or so of walking in relative silence, Calia spoke. "Look, I'm… I'm sorry, but this is… too much, right now. We will talk about it back at the Sun Temple if we must, but not here. Not now."

Amber had had some time to reflect and calm down when she wasn't dodging pain in her leg. By the Now-dead Gods, it hurt. "I'm sorry too… Shouldn't have asked you a question you were uncomfortable with. So… how'd you get here?"

"I fell, thank Malphas, into a thicket farther down the ruin. It was some kind of… machine room, or at least that's what it looked like to me. And, luckily enough, that's how the traps in the entrance are being controlled. I tried to deactivate them; we'll see if it worked." Calia replied. "And what about you?"

"I fell into a body of water which… wasn't fun, to say the least. Then I called out for you, hoping we had ended up in the same place, but no such luck. Then I tried to find my way out through this maze, and was worried I was lost more than once… Fought more than enough bandits for my liking, and survived, obviously. Guess I wouldn't have if you hadn't been there, so thanks."

Calia smiled a little, but Amber didn't notice.

There looked to be a kind of camp or something, below where the bandit leader had been sitting and Calia pointed to it. "Hey, see that? We should probably go and see what it is."

"Can't hurt, I suppose," Amber said, "unlike my leg."

They walked into a small area with a large crackling fire and several chairs set up next to it. Next to it were three urns filled with gold coins. The sight made Amber a bit anxious. It was more than enough to pay off her and Sirius' debts ten times over, and then have enough to buy a ship, it looked like. What she would have given for that back in the day…

"Gold… and I highly doubt it was earned through honest labour. So that's what this is about? They fled to protect their loot?" Calia sighed, disappointed. Whether in humanity, lack of interesting discovery, or otherwise Amber couldn't really determine. "We should bring this to the Order. Maybe they can find out who they stole it from."

There were footsteps off in the background. "No! You can't do that… please!" A man called out.

"Stay right there," Calia called out. "Who are you?" Calia drew her blade and Amber did as well, wincing as she did so. She figured her arm was also injured, however lightly.

"I'm not one of them, I swear!" The man called and, when he ran around the corner, they could both clearly see it. He was dressed in simple clothing and the only weapon on him were his fists. "Oh, by the Righteous Path, what did I get myself into?"

"If you're not a bandit, who are you?" Amber said bluntly.

"Hallys. Hallys Summerstone. I'm just a simple man, a farmer by me path. I have two daughters, me woman, and a little farm just a few miles from Ark. Maybe you know one of me girls? She sells our bread at the market, Morndas to Fredas."

Amber thought back and remembered seeing one girl who sold bread. "The skinny one… with blonde hair?"

The man's eyes widened and he nodded hastily. "Yes, exactly! That's her. My little Surta…"

"Explain yourself. Why are you here?" Calia asked. Amber kind of liked the bold stance she was taking.

"Right, yes, of course…" Hallys said. "Do you know who Landlord Borek is?"

Both Calia and Amber sheathed their weapons. "He's one of the most influential landowners on the Farmer's Coast… Both the Guard and the Order get their food from his lands. What does he have to do with all this?" asked Calia.

"Everything, unfortunately. He's a pathless bastard, and all of this, all of it, is his fault. I swear it by me name."

"Why?"

"Because he's a criminal, that's why. Believe me, I know how it sounds but it's the truth. You have to believe me. The tolls he collects on his tenants are so high we can hardly keep enough to eat, and those who don't pay get beaten up by his lackeys. But that's not all; he also knows the Rhalâta."

"The Rhalâta? That… cult from the Undercity?"

"Aye, who else? They believe themselves above Malphas, above the Holy Path, and they are… powerful…"

"Odd how a cult in the _Under_ city would consider themselves _higher_ than a God," Amber remarked.

"Yes, it's unusual, but they have enough power that no one does anything about them, unfortunately."

"So… is this money his, and you're hoping you can convince us that, because he's corrupt, as you say, that the theft is justified?" Amber asked.

"No, the money isn't his," Hallys said, sighing deeply. "I had debts. It all started three years ago when we had a really bad harvest and I couldn't afford to pay me toll, for the first time. Borek gave me a loan, but he told me I'd have to pay interest next time. Well… I think you can figure out the rest."

"You ended up deeper and deeper into debt and you were looking for a way to pay everything back at once?" asked Amber.

"Aye, I heard from a friend that there was this man in the Undercity by the name of Karek, and he said that he and his men might be willing to help me, if they got money from it. Apparently, they even had a sense of 'honour' and path-abidingness, if you can call it that."

"So you made a deal with them. But whose pennies are those?"

"They… are from a travelling merchant. We ambushed him and… you know what we did. But I swear by me name we didn't hurt him! When we had the money, all sunfire started breaking loose. Some kind of woman appeared, all veiled and dressed in black, and in the wink of an eye she killed two of Karek's men! We tried to fight her at first, but in the end, we ran for it into this here ruin."

"Seems the Veiled Woman isn't just messing with my life…" Amber mumbled.

"No merchant in their right mind would travel the Penny Road alone, especially with everything happening in Enderal recently," Calia remarked.

"What? No, you're wrong… I'm not…" Hallys sighed in defeat. "Alright, it's true. The money is from the Food Bank."

"You stole from the people of the Undercity?" Calia asked incredulously. Amber noticed Calia was giving her sword's handle a vice-like grip.

Hallys nodded, eyes cast to the ground. "Yes, but I didn't have a choice. It was either that or lose me farm."

"So, what, you just expect us to let you go? So you can save your farm?" Amber asked.

"To save me farm, aye. Please… it's the right thing to do."

"I wonder if all the starving people in the Undercity would agree…" Amber said.

"Please! If I don't have the money by the end of the next moon, Borek and his lackeys will change their tune, and I know what that means."

Amber debated it for a moment and then asked, "What do you think, Calia?"

Calia looked a little stunned for a moment and then shook herself back into action. "That's… a tough call to make. I can understand the motivation, but that doesn't change the consequences of his actions. If we let him run, we legitimize his crime, so to speak… You should justify your crime before the Tribunal. Explain to them what Borek has done and they may judge you lightly."

" 'Judge lightly'. You really believe that, don't you? They don't care about the why, especially not if I crossed the Greatjunker… and even if they do, it doesn't change a damned thing that about the fact that me family is lost without this money."

"Maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that you're at least partially responsible for what happened here. But, it's your call, Amber."

Amber nodded once and breathed deeply. "I know I would do the same in your position, but I cannot let that affect my judgement now. I truly believe you have good intentions, but that does not allow you to do immoral things. This money is not yours. You will be presented to the Tribunal."

"No, but- Damn, damn, damn… Oh, what did I get myself into?"

"Something you can hopefully get out of, but legally," Amber said gently.

Calia went off to find Lishari and the guards and bring them back while Amber let her leg rest and heal and kept an eye on Hallys. For his part, he stayed and didn't attempt running, though he had heavily debated it with himself. Amber truly wished the best for him, and while maybe before she would have allowed him to run, she was reformed. She was the Prophetess of this damned continent, and the whole world as well, and she would do her best to make sure that justice can still function with so much crime in the world.

"Well, it's good to see you're both still alive. Saw you both just fall off into that hole and figured you might've died." Lishari had said when Calia brought them back to the gold and the farmer, Hallys. And Amber, whose leg was feeling much better, though it was bruised.

"Yeah, seems we're tough to kill," Calia said.

_Fortunately,_ Amber's mind chipped in.

"Anyway, who's our friend here? He doesn't look like one of the bandits."

"He isn't, he's a farmer. Hallys is his name. He's still guilty and involved in all this. Can you escort him to Ark, and see that he isn't injured in the process?" Calia answered the Nehrimese mage with raven hair.

"The capital? Sure. Jakil, Mjorol, you two can take care of that." Lishari said to some who had followed behind her. "Alright then… I'd say if this 'machine' is somewhere in this ruin, it's here. You two should look around for it and we'll watch your back in the meantime."

Amber sighed, stood up, and shook her body loose. "Oh joy… Come on, Calia. Let's find this… machine, I guess."

Calia dipped her head in acknowledgement and made her way to Amber, following the fiery character as she tested her leg and made her way up a ramp and to a blocked entrance. She noticed a lever to her left and pulled it, letting the gate slide open and allow them ingress. Calia was just happy to be following once more.

They descended down a dark and narrow hallway lit with faint flames that danced along the walls and made their shadows distort and shake as they made their way past. The air was cold and bitter. Amber's face scrunched for a moment and she did her best to get used to the air, bad as it was.

Soon enough, the walked out and saw a… well, a machine, standing tall and decrepit. "Well, that looks like our machine," Calia said. "Do you sense anything about it, Sa'Ira? Anything with your powers?"

Amber shook her head. "No, nothing yet." She looked closer at it. "But it looks… familiar, if that's even possible. Let's take a look around."

"I agree. We might be able to find some small parts for it or something. The Order will transport the rest of it by Myrad."

It was an impressive machine. Glowing red like it was full of hate, or it had witnessed the death of an entire species. "What strange metal… it hasn't rusted in the slightest even after all the time its been down here…" Calia said, getting closer to it, inspecting it. Touching it. It _was_ odd metal, dark and almost… purple, with ancient carvings that didn't look like they had religious or cultural meaning… almost purely mechanical. It gave Amber a consistent feeling of dread and she couldn't understand why.

It thrummed with energy whenever she got close. Like a heartbeat. Amber noticed hers was synced with the massive machine that stood more than five times her eight, it seemed.

While Calia began looking around, Amber saw a small ball of green and black, swirling around. She looked closer at it, and picked it up. When she did, she received another vision.

A distant yet near voice was speaking to her. "Correct. Nothing else possesses that much raw, magical power." And, as quickly as it came, it was gone and left Amber blinking, clutching the orb of crystal.

"Found something!" Amber called, before giving it to Calia to inspect. The steel-clad woman pondered it, deep in thought.

She saw an opening behind a doorway without a door in the distance and went to get it. There was a stream of water and a… structure or something producing some amount of steam from a broken pipe. Amazing how so much still worked even after who knows how long. Hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of years. It was impossible to say. On a stone bed laid an old parchment that described… something. She touched it and was drawn into another vision.

"It works in a way we haven't even come close to understanding or even comprehending. Like some kind of… cosmic force." A voice, distinctly a woman's, said.

Amber snapped back to her current time, two fingers lightly touching the scroll. She picked it up and brought it back to Calia. "I think we can only carry one more piece of… these artifacts." Amber said.

Calia looked at the parchment in her hands and the crystal at her feet before nodding. "I agree. We can't carry everything, so just find one more thing and we can go."

Amber gave Calia a sharp nod and walked off, looking for the last item they would bring with them. She walked up a wooden ramp and got a better look at the machine. It was… tall and… intimidating. She didn't like it. It sent shivers down her spine. But, it was the machine, without a doubt. She looked down and saw a dynamo of some kind… an odd device filled with power, still slowly working. She picked it up and received the last vision she would get touching old artifacts for now.

"All this energy… it's _useless_ without the Numinos." A voice said. Amber blinked. Numinos? What was that? Maybe she'd figure it out in time. She decided to not worry about and instead bring the artifact back to Calia so they could make their way out of the ruin and maybe to some fresh air.

She placed it in Calia's hands and she looked at it quizzically. "How is it that it moves all by itself…?" Calia shook her head. "Well, it does, and I guess that's the important part. We should bring these back to Peghast. I hope we didn't forget anything."

"I doubt it, but it's possible," Amber said. "If we did, let's just hope the others find them instead."

Calia nodded. "Agreed."

They walked back up, Amber holding the parchment and Calia carrying the dynamo and crystal. As they made their way to the entrance and the mages, Amber asked a question she had been playing with for the minutes she had looked for the items. "So, why did you call me 'Sa'Ira' back there?"

"Did I? Oh, I'm sorry, it's a Qyranian and can mean a lot of things… but, the closest translation in our case would be 'Sister-in-Arms'. My foster-father called me that, so I suppose it's an old habit. I like the way it sounds though. I… I can refrain from calling you that in the future if you'd like."

Amber thought about it for only a moment. "No, no, it's good. You can call me that. Sounds pretty accurate to me."

Calia smiled a little and said, "I'm glad you agree."

Lishari was waiting for them when they emerged, blinking at the brighter light. "Now, that was quick. What did you find?"

Amber looked at her incredulously and gestured to their hands. "Take a look for yourself."

She did and nodded softly and picked some up and looked at them in the light. "These are… fascinating. Did you manage to find anything else… the machine, perhaps?"

"Oh, yes, that's back there. But, I fear the years have taken their toll on it." Amber said.

"To be honest, I expected nothing different. Judging by how long its been down here, I'm surprised it's even still half-standing. We should be able to reconstruct it, though I may have doubts as I haven't seen it myself. We'll begin getting everything we can back to Ark as soon as we can. You should head back there too. I imagine the Grandmaster has something planned for both of you."

Amber thought back and nodded. "Yes, he has something else waiting for me to complete. Seems I am going to be very busy these next weeks… or months… or who knows how long."

"With the end of the world coming, it seems like it'll be coming sooner as opposed to later. Every second wasted is a second we lose forever." Calia said.

"Oh, and we found these documents. Maybe they can help…?"

Lishari took them off Amber's hands and began reading. After a minute or so, she looked up and said. "This is… really, really interesting."

"Why?" Calia asked.

"It says here that the machine was only a prototype. The real one the Pyreans were working on must be somewhere else. Plus, there's also a name for it. The Pyreans called it the 'Beacon'."

"That's… poetic." Calia remarked.

"Indeed." Lishari turned back to Amber. "Well, it seems like you and your visions have really saved the day, Prophetess. Again, I suggest you go back to Ark and report to Arantheal. He's probably chewed all his fingernails off by now waiting for you."

"All right then, let's go." Amber turned to Calia and said, "Come on. Let's go home."

"Right behind you, as usual, Sa'Ira." Calia smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As stated above, this is where I announce the big change I'm making.
> 
> As of next chapter, I have decided most chapters will now be shorter in length. Maybe even just a short scene. Why? Because, since about Chapter 8, Ark, this story has never been about the moments and about the word length. How much of the story can I fit into the same chapter and get away with it before the deadline (or, in many cases, much after the deadline).
> 
> The biggest example of this is Chapter 19, Residency, which had the incredibly important moment like Amber and Jespar's meetup sharing space with: her getting a new place to stay, her getting some peace from Sirius' departure, and lots of walking. An incredibly long chapter and I had flaunted it like it was an achievement, when now I feel like it has diminished those individual moments. I won't be cutting up everything really small or anything, just the more important moments and sequences will have their own chapters dedicated to them where I can pour my soul into it. Really pour my soul into it.
> 
> An added bonus to this is that I should be able to make new chapters quicker and have them uploaded more regularly, though I cannot promise anything as I will no doubt break it at some point.
> 
> Thank you so much for all the love and support you give to this story, even just reading it, it means so much to me and it is what has kept me going, albeit at a snail's pace in recent history. I hope to see you reading the next chapter, or through email if you'd like to.


	24. Grey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The monolith returns! At long last! I'm sorry for the absence. Life has been brutal to me, lately, and I've just been going through the motions. Finally felt drawn enough to this story to get back and write. And so I did. It's super short, but I put my heart into each and every word. It's a slightly new writing style I think I'll keep, at least in spirit.
> 
> Also starring: a new-but-not-really Amber, some new things, shorter sentences, unfiltered passion.  
> Now lacking: some retconned things, too many commas, functional update schedule.
> 
> See you all in the next one! Whenever that ends up being released...

The cool, fresh air on her face was… intoxicating. She sighed and gasped as Enderalean air filled her lungs. She basked in it, as Calia did. The ruins were the same, though the sun was setting. The trees were tall and imperious, the grass unruly and waving in the breeze, and the sky was getting ever darker.

Though she had slogged out of the ruins of Old Dothûlgrad, the renewance of the world in her eyes brought energy into each step she took. Soon Amber was merrily walking through the grass and the wilderness, onto the road, and back to home. To Ark. A city of millions. She wasn't too joyous to see what the people of Enderal had in store for her this time. Perhaps some insults they thought up, or some spit, or the ever-classic glare, or look of suspicion.

But for now, she could luxuriate in the knowledge that they were one step closer to finding the solution to ending the Cycle, and saving Humanity from impending doom. That thought comforted her, but on the other hand, the thought that Humanity could simply vanish in a week was… terrifying. But all she could imagine was the glory she would get for being the one who saved the world. The recognition. The way to prove to Enderal, nay the world that everyone could do anything.

She could show the world the power of humanity, not just to the people of Enderal. She could be everything she ever dreamed of.

A hero.

The sky soon began to come ablaze as the sun fell behind the mountains to the west and the sky became an ever-deeper shade of blue. When the stars began showing themselves, Amber stopped Calia and pointed up to the sky.

"You see that?" The autumn-haired girl said.

Calia nodded once. "Yeah, why?"

"That's my favourite colour," Amber said softly, taking in the sight. "It has been for years, and I only ever get to see it during this time of day. Only now. And it means the world to me."

"How come?" Calia asked.

"Because of what it means. Yes, it's a brilliant colour that I could look at forever, but it means something so much more than just being a colour. It signals the end of another day. That we lived to see it. The world will pass into night once again but that colour shows us it will not always be so. The sun will return, and a new day will dawn."

Amber sighed and set herself down along a stream with a clear view of the sky above, a few minutes later.

"Is this where we're camping?"

Amber nodded softly, almost to herself. "Yes."

She continued to watch the sky as a thousand stars slowly began to show themselves to her, and as Calia set up camp. She got a fire going, cooked some food they had brought, and ate together, though Amber never stopped staring at the sky. Calia couldn't see the same fascination that Amber had with it, but it was clear it meant something to the Kiléan. Perhaps Calia would never truly know, but she knew it was best to leave Amber undisturbed.

Eventually, the fire faded, Calia fell asleep, and Amber watched the stars for as long as she could before sleep pulled her from her reverie. She dreamed. She was back at the farm, but it was not dangerous this time, and, instead, a place of relaxation. The sky was twilight blue, her favourite colour, and a brilliant array of orange, gold, yellow, and a red that glowed deeper than lava set the rest of the sky on fire. She sat there, on the grass, watching the sky in awe. How could the world be so beautiful?

It was just another reason to save it.

As the dream progressed, she began smelling something odd. Smoke. She looked around and saw the sky was… actually on fire. It hissed and crackled and smoke began to swell across the sky. It stung her eyes and her breath started to draw short. Amber began panicking. _No, not again. I won't die. Not this time._

The distant calling of Calia eventually roused Amber from her dream, and she awoke staring at a roll of grey clouds that washed the sky of blue. "Hey," Calia said. "You were mumbling in your sleep. Are you alright?"

Amber sucked in a few breaths and when her lungs were refreshed, nodded. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you." A few moment's pause. "Did I say anything you could make out?"

Calia thought on it for a moment and shook her head. "No, nothing I could make out. You were speaking, but none of it was Inâl."

"Mm," Amber said as she began moving. The fire was a simmer and the minimal flames moved slowly. The world seemed sombre. The winds began to grow in strength. "It was probably unimportant. Guess we should head back to Ark?"

"Yes. I doubt the Myrad and its rider is there anymore, considering how long we were gone. They have to go back to Ark, after all. We could still check if you'd like…?" Calia trailed off.

Amber shook her head. "No thanks. I prefer to walk. At least then I don't a high chance of plummeting to my death."

Calia shrugged. "There's always cliffs."

"That's why I said 'high chance'." Amber grinned. "And last I heard there aren't any cliffs in the Heartland."

"Though you haven't heard much of the Heartland to begin with."

"And you have?"

They both chuckled and started to pack up. Amber kicked the fire out, and it seemed sad, but if it was left… who knows what destruction it could have unleashed. Calia stuffed what she could back into the packs they had with them, while Amber washed in the stream.

"It's cold!" Amber complained.

"Of course it's cold. It's a stream, not a tub."

Amber sulked and hastily washed herself of grime. When she was done, she wiped herself down with a spare shirt she had and left it on top of her pack. She wasn't sure how well it would dry, but she didn't want it to mold.

They got prepared and set off once more, walking down the road while Amber would hum to herself or mumble under her breath. Calia did her best not to listen, but she heard snippets. 'Let's run away and be forever young…' and 'I can't keeping doing this…' among other things. Calia couldn't help but wonder at what life Amber had before Enderal. While she was eager to tell for the most part, there was what she didn't say. What she didn't speak of. And it all intrigued Calia.

Amber had a whole life before Enderal. One full of… well, only Amber knew. Calia knew that with enough patience she would get the answers her mind wanted. It had worked with others in the past. Amber probably wasn't that different.

They kept walking. Amber kept mumbling and humming. Occasionally basking in the world. Calia kept on thinking. And the sun kept moving with the two Keepers. They had a few breaks to eat and rest but they were few in number. Amber was excited to go back to Ark and see what she would be sent to do next. The trees started to clear as they began walking alongside a lake. Two islands were close to them and in the distance, Amber could see farms and windmills. Fields of gold and green. She couldn't help but smile, sadness written into it. The world looked so idyllic from afar. But as soon as she entered it, cold, brutal reality hit her.

Like the death of Sirius. Gods, she had such little time to think of him, but now that she was simply walking, she started to think. About him. About the way he used to smile at her, or attempt to chastise her when she did something bad or illegal. The way he would look into her eyes and tell her everything would work out, in the end. In truth, she had affections for Sirius, but they had never really acted on it. Both had been too afraid that if they expanded the friendship they had, it would crumble and they would lose one another. To tainted minds, or life itself.

But that smile… She couldn't get it out of her mind, and Amber started to walk a little slower. Soon, Calia passed her and was the one leading. Amber merely followed as her feet began to drag. She had been so invested in Sirius. When he was happy, she was, too. When he was sad, she couldn't help but feel that, too. And now she felt his absence. He would have loved this place. Enderal. He didn't even have the accent she did. He would have fit right in.

Her? She was still an outcast. A pariah. And despite being able to relate with Calia, the raven-haired guardian had always been from Enderal. Had always known, to some extent, what it was like to fit in. To belong. Here, it was so different. Amber had darker skin, shorter stature, and a different way of talking, and was ostracized for it.

Sirius would have helped. Amber looked at the lake and walked to it, slumping down against a tree and sat there. She closed her eyes, sucked in a breath, and began to cry.

He was gone. Amber would never see Sirius again. She would never get to hear him laugh, see him smile… nothing. It was over. It was done.

She wished she got to say 'goodbye'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also WOW!!! Over 100k words! I never thought I'd _actually_ make it this far! Thank you so much for all the support and everything, it truly means the world!


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